​Deluxe Shea Butter  is an A+ grade certified organic shea butter.  The fact that it is unrefined, which means it is completely pure, no bad chemicals, just 100 percent natural, makes this such a pleasure to use.

This particular shea butter is extracted from the fruits of the shea tree which grow along the west Africa savannah, this ghana gold is referred to as nkuto butter by the locals and has been used traditionally for it’s cosmetic, nutritional and medicinal purposes.  
  
Deluxe Shea Butter is fair trade practice and sustainably harvested.  It sources its A-grade ’nkuto butter' directly from female co-operatives that operate within the Kumbungo district of Ghana. The process, which draws upon traditional methods, involves the collection, cleaning, segregation, drying, and pounding of the Shea nuts into a paste where it is then mixed with water and agitated by hand to produce a form of curd. This top layer is collected and then purified into an oil and left to cool and solidify, resulting in unadulterated, pure Shea butter.  

Deluxe Shea Butter is rich in so many vitamins including vitamin a, e and f, stearic and oleic acids.   It can be used on all skin types and is very helpful in  treating eczema and psoriasis.    Can also be used on stretch marks and wrinkles and even on sore muscles, as it has natural anti inflammatory benefits. 

This is my new go to product for my feet and especially cracked heels, it might save me a few trips of having to get so many pedicures!

The business began operations in 2007 when the two founding brothers formed a partnership with their mother and Auntie, the late Nana Adubea Yeboah II, Traditional Chief of Aduamoa in Kwahu, Ghana.  Initially supplying Shea butter to the Ghanaian community in their adopted hometown of Adelaide, South Australia.  Increased conciousness of the benefits of Shea Butter has seen Deluxe Shea Butter Australia grow steadily from local roots to be an international presence. 

A wonderfully soothing and effective salve, I love the natural scent of it too.

Available at Deluxe Shea Butter. 
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By: Boris Dzhingarov 

Staying beautiful isn’t always easy, or cheap! In fact, many of us would relish any opportunity to bring down the amount that we regularly spend on beauty products. This seemingly impossible task is actually much easier than you think. You can save a lot of money by buying smarter, rather than buying less. There are also a number of ways that budding entrepreneurs can generate a little extra income to fund their habit.

Here are just some of the ways that you can drastically reduce the amount you spend on cosmetics products without sacrificing your overall look.

Use What You Have
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Far too many of us end up abandoning makeup, lipstick, and other cosmetics without using the entire product. This is a huge source of wastage, even when we discard products because we decide that we don’t like them. In most cases, there is no need to throw the products away. Instead, have a look around for some creative ways to use them. Alternatively, you could see if a friend would be willing to swap it for something that might suit you better.

​Switch Brands

Consumer psychology is an interesting thing. It turns out that when we pay more for a product we feel, perhaps even ‘know’, that it is of a higher quality than a cheaper product. However, once you dig beneath the surface, you often find that this isn’t the case and that the cheaper ‘inferior’ product actually performs just as well. This is as true for makeup as it is for anything else. Try a few different, better priced, brands rather than just sticking to the established – and more expensive – big name brands.

Start a Fund

If you’re really dedicated to your preferred brand or retailer and don’t want to change, then you might find it helpful to get into some good savings habits. That way, you’ll always have some change on hand when you need it. There are a million and one ways that you can start a little fund like this for yourself. If you think of yourself as an entrepreneur in the making then you might want to look into how you can break into the world of investments. If you already know what you’re doing, look here to get the latest forex news.

​Buy Online

Internet shopping truly is a wonderful thing, especially when it comes to cosmetics. The big, and obvious, the drawback is that you can’t try products that you see on a website without ordering them. However, once you have a particular brand and product that you like, you can look into ordering it bulk and saving yourself quite a lot of money in the process.

Sales and Samples

The internet is a great platform for finding the best possible prices on products, whether you buy individually or in bulk. You can also often find coupon deals for individual retailers if you search online for ‘[retailer] discount codes’. Some retailers will offer free samples with orders and many high street chains will allow you to try free samples before you commit to buying.

​Buying cosmetics doesn’t have to be a massive drain on your finances, not if you follow these simple tips and try and spend as sparingly as you can get away with.

Milky Foot is an intense and extremely effective exfoliating foot pad.   This is the first time I have tried anything like this and I have to say it’s pretty amazing, these actually do work!

So this is what happens, you leave the countoured foot socks wrapped around your feet for an hour, just sit back and relax.   The pads contains natural ingredients which start to absorb into your feet, it feels very cool and soothing.  After around 3 days the dead and dry skin will start to peel off.  By day 2 I did start to wonder is this really going to happen? but by day 3 my dry skin did start to peel off!  At first I noticed it on the soles of my feet, which is where I have the driest skin and by day 4 the skin on the tops of my feet started peeling off.   At first it can feel a bit strange, but rest assured, by the end of the 7 days my feet felt so smooth and soft.  They’ve never really felt like this before.   

I found the whole process pretty amazing!    The intense exfoliating action happens because of the following ingredients, milk ferment filtrate and mandolin acid (from almond milk).

I have extremely dry feet, which means I also get hard callouses and cracks on my heels, but this process made my entire feet feel silky soft, similar to the feeling you get after a pedicure, but this is better because it’s removing the dead skin from all over your feet, also alot more affordable than visiting a salon. It’s recommended to use the pads every 2-3 months, which is what I will be doing.   

​Available at - Milky Foot ​

CameLife is a premium natural skincare line which contains camel milk.  These products really had me very curious as to how well camel milk works in skincare and what the difference is between this and other skincare.   

I have been very pleasantly surprised.  These are very effective products at keeping my skin looking and feeling super hydrated and they also smell heavenly.  Camel milk contains vitamin C, fatty acids and protective proteins which help to counter-act ageing and keep skin looking firm and healthy.   If you haven't tried it before I think you will also be surprised at how well it works.  

I tried two products from the range - ​

Restorative Night Cream

​This anti-ageing night cream with it’s unique formula of camel milk, natural skin saving oils such as jojoba, argan, avocado oils and shea butter offer a lovely and hydrating cream which targets fine lines and wrinkles .

It also contains vitamin c, iron and natural alpha hydroxyl and omega fatty acids. This unique blend helps to repair damaged skin as well as helping to keep it looking firm.    ​

I found these products to feel very luxurious, effective in keeping my skin looking and feeling amazing.   Very soothing, as it also contains aloe. 

​

CameLife is the first brand to be launched by The Australian Camel Milk Company.  I found the products to feel quite luxurious and effective at keeping my skin feeling youthful.

​Available at CameLife.

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By: Jessicka Bell 

Here’s the reality about catwalk confidence: It’s all about projection.
 
Forget about what your life is currently truly like, or how your outfit itches like crazy. Your focus should always be on selling an image. Nothing else matters when you’re on the runway, you just have to be, in Tyra Banks’ words, “fierce and fabulous.”
 
Catwalk confidence does not only apply on the runway; it will also help you tremendously when you feel doubtful about a lot of things. Life can throw all kinds of curveballs at you, but if you have this kind of confidence, you can fake it until you make it.
 
Runway and print models from top modelling agencies will always tell you that the confidence they exude originated from a place of uncertainty. Very few personalities in the fashion world start off with amazing, intact confidence that radiates wherever they go and whatever they may be doing. Most of them start off rather insecure. However, over time, they develop confidence, a thick skin, and the ability to look at things objectively in a way that silences their self-doubt.
 
If you wish to develop catwalk confidence to beat frequent episodes of self-doubt, here are some tips provided by a leading model talent management agency.

​1.     Take care of yourself. 

Whenever you feel somewhat inadequate, aim to determine ways you can be better. One of the most important aspects of self-improvement is health.
 
Start eating more nutritious food, get more exercise, and meditate. These self-care efforts can do so much in improving how you see yourself. In addition, these can improve your body’s chemical composition. Eating vitamin- and mineral-enriched food can significantly improve your mood; ditto with working out and meditating.
 
Most importantly, the deliberate decision to take care of yourself is an obvious expression of valuing oneself. When you value yourself, you present a strong counter-attack to the voices of self-doubt that you hear in your head, and even the voices of people who belittle you.

​2.     Hold your head up high. 

A mere change in posture can boost confidence. When you stand tall, you create a powerful presence for yourself, which other people can be expected to respond to with admiration and respect.
 
Once you see people responding to you the way you want them to, whatever self-doubt you may be feeling can go away, even just temporarily.

​3.     Dress your best. 

Stylists from a talent agency say that dressing beautifully can have a huge impact on how you feel on the inside. Drown out the voices that prompt you to be cruel to yourself by assuming and maintaining an outward appearance that is the opposite of what those voices are telling you.
 
Also, research reveals that appearance strongly influences other people’s perception of you. Become a sharp dresser and you will be perceived as someone who is successful, intelligent, trustworthy, and has authority over others.
 
You may be feeling down on yourself, but when you dress impressively, who’ll be able to tell that you’re not quite self-assured? When others see you as “smart and in-charge,” you won’t be able to help but believe that you are.

​4.     Walk with purpose. 

​Fix that slouch and avoid the tendency to drag your feet when you walk. There’s nothing like walking and looking like you know where you’re going to make you feel like you really know where you’re heading. This simple action transforms the feeling of uncertainty into adventure.
 
Young models share quite often that when they go to casting calls in order to book jobs, they usually find themselves in a completely new place and without a proper clue as to how to get from point A to point B. However, they walk with a clear purpose – that is, to get a casting call – and more often than not, they find their way and achieve their target outcome.
 
These four tips are all organic approaches to developing confidence. You don’t need to change what you naturally have – you just need a healthier mindset. With catwalk confidence, you’ll be able to deal with moments of self-doubt appropriately and ensure your advantage in the runway of life.

​AUTHOR BIO
​
Jessicka Bell co-founded the AgenC, one of the leading model/talent agencies in the Middle East, in 2014. After just three years in the market, the AgenC now works with most (if not all) of the heavy hitters in media and fashion, as well as represents over 1,000 talents ranging from international models through to cast, kids, creatives and photographers.

We are feel good inc. have developed the perfect preservative free sunscreen which I have tried and tested on myself for the past few months. ​

​Essential oils are extracted from different leaves, petals, fruit and barks and contain their own aroma. They are very strong and rich with antioxidants that are great for skin, especially the aging one. Plus, the consistency of these oils is so seamless that they go deep into the layers of skin and address the skin conditions better than any other skincare products you might find in the market. And the best part is that they are 100% natural too. What more can you ask for!

If you want some oil with anti-aging benefits, you have got to try one of the 7 in the list below. Keep reading and thank me later!

Geranium Essential Oil

This essential oil is a treat for both hair and skin and has got a really nice flowery fragrance. Its astringent properties help reduce the appearance of large pores while leaving the skin firm and tight. Plus, it also helps the regeneration process by improving the blood flow in the skin cells. It has the power to protect the skin from degeneration.

Directions to Use

​All you have to do is mix a few drops of this oil in your bath for complete skin protection. Plus, you can also mix it with aloe gel for turning it into a gentler treat for the skin while you sleep. Therefore, it also works well as a soothing night mask. 

Sandalwood Essential Oil

Sandalwood oil is great for reversing the damage that UV rays cause to your skin. It consists of astringent properties as well that help improve the texture and tone altogether of the skin. It has active ingredients that are great for reversing the aging process and bringing the youthful glow of the skin back.

Directions to Use

Take 5 drops of sandalwood oil along with 5 drops of geranium oil and add them in a cup quarterly filled with argan oil. Shake it well before using it every night as a part of your nighttime skincare routine.

Frankincense Essential Oil

This is one of the best essential oils for aging skin. Not only does it help tighten the skin but it also has the power to remove pigmentation, dark spots and scars. It helps in maintaining the pH level of the skin while protecting it from free radicals. It is a great oil for those with acne problems as well as it contains anti-inflammatory properties and therefore, it soothes the skin down effectively.

Directions to Use

​Take about 4 drop of this oil and rose hip oil and add these in a cup quarterly filled with jojoba oil. Store the mixture in a dropper bottle for ease of use. Apply it twice to three times a day as a moisturizer on your face for the best results. 

Lavender Essential Oil

Massaging the skin with lavender oil does not only help reverse the aging signs but it brings back the natural youthful glow and softness as well. It contains anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-aging properties that help the skin to recover from all sorts of skin conditions and grow in to a much healthier form.

Directions to Use
​
Take around 20 drops of this oil and mix it with a bit of rosehip oil. Make sure you massage your skin with it before going to bed every night for better blood circulation and faster regeneration process. 

Author bio:

​Sania is a student of accounts and finance. She enjoys shopping, trying out skincare remedies and blogging about anything that is related to beauty and self-care. Her love for pets, tea and travelling is eternal. She recently published a post on choosing the correct moisturizer for skin.

By: Hannah Findlay

​Cosmetic labels are an important part of every cosmetic product. It’s a manufacturer’s way to acquire new customers and retain existing ones. At the same time, for customers, it’s a way to get informed about the brand, product’s purpose, and ingredients.
 
When a product is brand new on the market, its design is one of the most important elements for success. Label design speaks about the brand identity, values, and mission. With the industry greatly relying on aesthetics, it’s important that the product stands out from the crowd. When it comes to design, there are various options. Cosmetic labels come in different shapes, colors, and materials. Manufacturers should keep in mind that the label speaks about a product the same way logo speaks about the brand.
 
Other than design, manufacturer should think about another label aspect - displaying information. Depending on the country of origin and geographical area of the market, there are some differences in the required information for cosmetic labels, and rules for how and where to layout the required information. If the product doesn’t meet specific labeling requirements, having false or misleading product information can be marked as misbranded.
 
The information displayed on cosmetic labels can be a decisive factor for buying a product. If the product is organic, and cruelty free, properly displaying the information on the product’s label will appeal to the nature-friendly customers.
 
Manufacturers often use symbols to display information about the product. As a customer, it’s important to know a thing or two about them. Knowing what common symbols on cosmetic labels mean can help you make informed decisions about products you put on your skin and hair.
 
Check out the infographic which covers important aspects of cosmetic labels both for manufacturers and customers. Find out about basic cosmetic labeling requirements, common symbols on cosmetic labels and their meaning.

​Wearing makeup isn’t that fun when you have acne-prone skin. No matter how long it took you to apply everything, your makeup seems to just slide off of your face and ends up highlighting your problem areas.
 
And this is where wearing a good primer can help you out.
 
You see, primers aren’t just for keeping your makeup stay in place longer. They are also helpful in creating the perfect canvas for your makeup.
 
They can fill in large pores, soothe redness and even out your skin tone so that your makeup can look extra flawless. Some primers can even help mattify the skin so you don’t end up looking like a greaseball by half of the day.
 
In addition to using the right primer for your skin type and being more picky with the makeup products you use, you also have to pay close attention to how you’re caring for your skin. Makeup can only temporarily conceal your blemishes but proper skin care can help make sure you don’t get more acne spots.
 
One great way to start is to be more aware of the things that can trigger your acne. To help you out, here’s an infographic to help you out.
 

Known Effects, founded by Ainsley Schumacher from Byron Bay,  is a one stop online marketplace which brings together businesses who share the same ethical values when it comes to health, beauty, fair trade and sustainability.  From beauty, food, fashion to home decor.  

They also stock two of my favourite brands, Sonia Orts Botanical Alchemy and TMF cosmetics, I love these!! my top two natural beauty lines!  The TMF lipsticks are amazing! highly pigmented and gorgeous. I have the lipstick in Kate and the gloss in Perry.   I have the Sonia Orts alchemic pack, which is my absolute favourite organic skincare, I use it every day. 
​
The jewellery is stunning, I am eyeing off the Daxia Somed earrings, so beautiful!   

I can see that every item on Known Effects has been so carefully chosen and the artisans and creators of these products have put there heart and soul into them.   

Get to know Amy and the reasons behind Known Effects in the interview below :) 

​What is KNOWN EFFECTS?  

​KNOWN EFFECTS is based on the ‘KNOWN EFFECTS’ of consumerism.
 
We wanted to create a community that supports businesses both small and large that are making positive changes to the way business is done. We have built an online marketplace that will become a one-stop ethical shopping platform. We are focused on creating a community filled with like-minded people from all areas from artisans, makers, fair-trade advocates to those who are driving the way in sustainable lifestyle products and living. KNOWN EFFECTS want to see small ethical businesses grow and we are driven to work with each brand to make this happen.
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Our vision is to create awareness for consumers about the KNOWN EFFECTS of ethical consumerism, along with changing the buyer pattern to adjust how businesses do business and making conscious choices in purchasing more sustainable, longer life-cycled products. We will be doing this through community and social events, v-logging, live chat's, educational talks and travel, spreading the word about what KNOWN EFFECTS is and that we are here to support and grow small ethical businesses.

What motivated you to establish KNOWN EFFECTS

​​In our travels around the world in our early 20’s, naïve to say the most, we were confronted with atrocious working conditions in some countries we had visited. When we started to look further into the process of how clothing is made in manufacturing companies and we were incredibly disheartened to learn the answer that that ‘bargain’ $3 shirt was actually only possible because of horrendous working conditions, next to nothing pay rates, child labour….these kids would have been the same age as my children now and I look at them and couldn’t imagine having to put them into that environment. Everything about some of these places made us angry, sad but motivated in wanting to make a difference.

Then KNOWN EFFECTS was founded, in 2015. In this time we had taken every step we could to gather as much research and talk to many businesses to evaluate if people needed this type of marketplace in their lives and lucky for us this was definitely missing. In 2016 we started to build the KNOWN EFFECTS marketplace from the ground up.

Our motivation is that the reality is no-person or business is perfect but if we combine our knowledge, experience, failures, achieved goals and grow together so we can help each other reach the same end goal of more ethical & sustainable businesses, products making fair-trade priority on the larger scale and pushing the larger companies to be responsible for their products, including all of their workers and environmental impact.​

​
​From ingredients to packaging, have you noticed to shift in consumers favouring natural and organic products over others to achieve a more sustainable life?

​Packaging is one of our worst enemies. As consumers we buy a product we want but don’t put much thought into the packaging because we just want what is inside, no real thought about way happens when we throw the packaging away. Annie Leonard quoted that “There is no ‘away’. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere”. She is right, it has to go somewhere, and that place is into our earth, to undeveloped countries that don’t have the resources or capacity to handle the rubbish, into the air we breath and the ocean we are surrounded by. This ‘away’ is slowly coming around full-circle and will impact us all if we don’t take control, educate and enforce changes.

​Interestingly, even the 45 – 65 age bracket demonstrate a consumer awareness surrounding the importance of purchasing ethical, natural and/or organic products. It is not only the younger generation who are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of chemicals in our foods, beauty products etc. The shift to purchasing natural and organic products has stemmed from consumers becoming aware of marketing loop holes surrounding product labelling and this education has driven some consumers to properly consider what they are buying, putting into or on their bodies and back into the environment. 

​For businesses we understand that creating sustainable products can be a major shift in an already made process however when we join forces and give each other guidance we can start to feel confident in making changes to our production to become sustainable, even when it starts with packaging.

How is stocking a brand on KNOWN EFFECTS more sustainable than running their own physical store or online store?

​I have personal experience in running both a physical and online store. The main downfall of physical stores is the overheads that are associated with brick and mortar set-up. From electricity to rubbish – a bricks and mortar store has a much higher negative impact on the environment than an online store that lives and breathes in a digital world. Instantly, an online store is more sustainable to our environment than a physical one.

​Some new and established businesses are confused and overwhelmed by the digital landscape and struggle to create an online shop that not only functions correctly, but isn’t costly to create and will be visible on search engines to the online shopper. This is another reason that brands like to align to KNOWN EFFECTS as we take care of all this of this in-house. We set up your store and even have an in-house social media expert to help grow the brand online by engaging directly with specific target consumers 
 

How have KNOWN EFFECTS established a sense of community?

​A community is important to KNOWN EFFECTS, like a large family that all have common interests and goals. The KNOWN EFFECTS community is not just the KNOWN EFFECTS brands (sellers) we are a community filing up with other businesses that are striving in the same direction, we are people who want to really make a difference and know that by creating a community will make a much stronger impact, this is what makes our KNOWN EFFECTS community so exciting.

​We have started growing our community, networking and talking to other bigger businesses on things we can do and plan for in the future to spread the word about Ethical & Sustainable consumerism. We have recently created a Facebook page for Makers & Designers to have a positive forum for business to grow their businesses by asking questions, posting DIY videos, lessons learnt from mistakes, all the areas small businesses can feel secluded in and unsure on where to approach their questions, we created a non-judgemental forum.

How does aligning with KNOWN EFFECTS increase consumer reach for businesses operating within their first 6 months?

​​Aligning with KNOWN EFFECTS helps brands find and connect with their ideal customer through networking events, social media, traditional media coverage and more. We provide that extra hand every business needs to reach out to more potential unfound customers. We find this helps businesses, particularly in their first 6-months of trading, as new business owners are too busy to wear every hat from accounting, to marketing, to sales – so we are able to partner with them escalate the process of engaging consumers and take the stress of sales and lead generation out of the first 6-months of operation. This is how we are supporting and growing small Australian businesses.

Talk us through the different types of brands that KNOWN EFFECTS supports

​The brands we support under KNOWN EFFECTS range from handmade organic clothing, homewares, sustainable timber products (they grow their own trees!), Eco- home improvement products, food, vegan make-up, organic skincare – the works! 

​In addition, KNOWN EFFECTS would not be sustainable without an up-cycled category for brands who have the talent to turn things that are heading to landfill into some new, exciting and useful. This further allows us to support sustainable brands and create a hub for consumers to purchase new and reinvented sustainable items.
 
Talk us through the process; if a new sustainable Australian brand wishes to align with KNOWN EFFECTS, what criteria do they have to meet to be eligible?

​​KNOWN EFFECTS is application based and product assessed. Unlike other marketplaces that tend to get out of hand with the grey area of ‘Handmade’ we have created an application with a few simple questions upon becoming a vendor via our website. These questions give us an insight into the brand to make sure their core values align with KNOWN EFFECTS and our community. We require all brands to subscribe to World Fair Trade Organisation guidelines and our internal sustainable requirements are that if a product claims to be sustainable, we require information into the life-cycle of the products, materials used and product creation process in order to ensure the products is safe to be promoted via the KNOWN EFFECTS platform. We have a ZERO plastic policy, as one of our biggest goals at KNOWN EFFECTS is to eliminate all plastics in business and we require our brands encompass this same ideology and move toward a plastic-free world.
 

What are the added bonus benefits of a brand aligning with and stocking on KNOWN EFFECTS?

​​We want every business to succeed, our first priority is to make sure all our brands have the help and guidance they need so we have implemented a Brands first process where we check in with all our brands to keep up to date, help out where we can, offer advice where we are fit to do so and the one thing we love doing with our brands is brain storming. We know it can be hard on your own and sometimes feel secluded so we have been doing some email brain storming to help our brands grow in the direction they want to go. The benefit is that brands that are serious about ethically made products are surrounded by other brands that have the same drive and passion.

What are the added bonus benefits of consumers purchasing goods via KNOWN EFFECTS?

​The added benefits for consumers purchasing from KNOWN EFFECTS is the knowledge that every product in our marketplace is 100% ethically made and by purchasing via KNOWN EFFECTS consumers are supporting small businesses and most importantly, the environment around them. Furthermore, most of our brand give back to charity too - further instilling a sense of community that cares. Consumers can also get involved in the community at KNOWN EFFECTS and become an advocate for striving toward a world that is fair, ethical and sustainable.

Ainsley, tell us a little bit about yourself. What drives you? What life experiences lead to the decision to launch KNOWN EFFECTS? Do you subscribe to a sustainable way of life?

​​I reside in Byron Bay, NSW with my amazing family. We are coastal people with compassion for this planet we all share. This is where my drive comes from, my family & our environment. I want to help create a world where it will be clean, safe and a place that is supportive of creatives, designers & makers  - not money hungry corporations that only have the dollar in-mind. I can start with my family by teaching our children the importance of keeping our environment and natural resources safe, the bigger picture of shopping local and supporting small businesses and sharing and showing their knowledge with their friends as they grow.

​Small businesses drive me. Small business owners’ ideas, passions and how they create their products really excites me. I want to help businesses grow ethically and as sustainably as they can. I feel I am in my comfort zone when I am brain storming with brands on how we can be even better at what we do and how we can get it all out to the world, it’s what made me want to create a marketplace more so than my own product and label.
Our home life is quite environmentally friendly however we are always challenging ourselves to be better, coming up with alternate ideas where we can to make less of a negative impact on the environment. It has kind of become a competition when one of us thinks of something; the other has to go that one bit better – we are always thinking about ways we can become more sustainable.

Why should consumers opt for natural, organic, sustainable products over others?  

​The reason for choosing natural, organic, sustainable products over products that aren’t are for our own benefit, our environment and the future of our planet.
 
When we choose products that have ingredients that have been sustainably made we are benefiting ourselves by putting less harmful chemicals and nasties onto and into our body, this varies from beauty products, food, clothing to sanitary products all which are quite often made with harmful ingredients.
 
When products are made sustainably you are purchasing a product where the environmental impact has been at the forefront of the brands business plan. Not only do sustainable products have a positive impact of the environment but it may also reduce long-term costs to the consumer through stronger, more durable materials.
 
What is harmful about purchasing a product that is not deemed sustainable? (Sweat shops, workers being paid fairly, product testing methods etc)

​‘There is nothing sexy about wearing an item that was made by a child’ - Jennifer Nini
I could talk about this topic without an end, it’s the topic that started KNOWN EFFECTS on it’s mission to make change. We have never been perfect, we still (and I’m sure always will) make mistakes but what we have learnt is to slow down in our purchasing and think before we buy.

​In a nutshell, when a product is not sustainable it effects the maker, businesses, the consumers & the environment. The makers are those who are employed by manufacturing or factory companies to make the products. Most face unethical working conditions resulting in a never ending cycle of poverty, child workers, wages below the living costs, health and safety risks and no restriction on working hours – and these are only a handful of ethical standards that aren’t met or followed by some manufactures. In many cases this has resulted in employee suicide.  Purchasing products that are not sustainable keeps these cycles going.