Blog

Safe Skincare. What You Need to Know

Go down the internet rabbit hole for long enough, and you’ll start to question if safe skincare products exist. Is danger lurking in those pretty bottles sitting on your counter? Thankfully, for the most part, there’s little cause for concern. Many companies (including us!) make safe skincare, and in this post, learn how to choose them. Shop All Apothekari Is The Beauty Industry Regulated? It’s common misconception that skincare products aren’t regulated in countries like the United States and Canada. But, this just isn’t true. In the USA, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, overseen by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), regulates cosmetics. And in Canada, Health Canada establishes guidelines for safe skincare. If you’re going to sell a product in Canada, it must be registered with Health Canada (ours are). The rules differ amongst countries, but most developed nations, including the European Union, Japan, Australia, and others, have agencies which set rules that cosmetics companies must comply with. How can you protect yourself? Purchase from reputable companies whose products are registered with their country’s agency. Not sure? Ask. Unregistered products are a red flag that should make you reconsider your purchase. Are Skincare Products Harmful? While the ingredients in skincare products are regulated, the words used to market them are, unfortunately, not! Fear marketing is really effective so many companies use it to get you to buy—or not buy—something. Sadly, the beauty space is filled with mistruths that aren’t backed by science. They’re not only misleading, they’re also very confusing for most customers. At Apothekari, your wellness comes first. Our founder is a pharmacist and those values guide us in everything that we do. Scientific research dictates our formulations and we don’t resort to unsubstantiated claims. We stand by our products and operate with honesty and integrity. Fear isn’t something that we use to scare you into buying our products. How Do You Know if a Skin Product Is Safe? In a world filled with lots of noise, who can you trust when it comes to choosing safe skincare products? Like shopping for anything, the key is to be an educated consumer. Beyond looking for products registered with the relevant regulatory body, and being wary of fear marketing, here’s what’s important: Is The Product Preserved? Despite what you may hear, preservatives are not scary! What is scary, are products that aren’t preserved. Preservatives are essential in any product that contains water to protect you from harm that may be caused by bacteria, fungi and mold. You may be concerned about parabens, but many companies are now using alternatives. If the product contains water, AND says it’s preservative-free, then either the formulator is lying (some of the ingredients may contain preservatives and they don’t need to be listed on the label) or even worse, it’s made by someone putting your health at risk. Read more here. Get to Know Your Ingredients. Don’t be scared by chemicals, because whether synthetic or straight from nature, everything is a chemical. A ‘chemical-free’ product would not only be completely ineffective, it would be impossible to find. Good and bad ingredients can be ‘natural’, ‘green’ and ‘clean’ (unregulated marketing terms, which can mean anything), or made in a lab. It doesn’t matter where it comes from – what’s important is whether it’s safe and effective. Who to trust when it comes to ingredient safety? Again – be cautious about organizations who want to scare you. Here’s a good read. Understand What Works for You. We’re all unique so what works for your best friend may not be so great for your skin. Some of us may be fine with fragrances, while some of us may not. Only you know your body. Get used to reading labels so you can decide for yourself. Knowledge is power. Where do you turn for information when it comes to the safety of your skincare products?

Learn more

Get a Gift! With One Of 3 Skincare Sets

Get a gift from Apothekari when you purchase one of 3 skincare sets during the festive season! We’ve partnered up with three local companies to offer you a gift when you purchase one of the following: Shop Apothekari Ageless Skin Set Shop All Apothekari Natural Deodorants Promotion Details One gift per set purchased per customer Offer cannot be combined with any other promotion Doesn’t apply to past purchases Runs until December 13th or while supplies last *We reserve the right to make a substitution if we run out of your chosen gift. Gift 1: Get a Gift of Beautiful Flowers & Beautiful Skin! Ready, Set, Glow and wake up to healthy, beautiful & ageless skin with our Ageless Skin Set. Get a gift of a beautiful bouquet from Bear’s Blooms ($30 value) with the purchase of this set. We’ll include a gift card, which may be used for a bunch of locally grown flowers, which will be delivered straight to your door!* Included in the Apothekari Ageless Skin Set: A is for Anti-Aging Serum – A gentle and effective retinoid serum that helps to minimize the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, reduce hyperpigmentation and reverse sun damage. Use daily at night. Bespoke Vitamin C Serum – Vitamin C (choose 10% or 15%) plus antioxidants help to fight against free radicals, which can accelerate the aging process. Each bottle is made to order guaranteeing freshness. Apply daily every morning. Daily Infusion Moisturizer – Moisturize, hydrate and plump skin with this moisturizer. Use daily morning and/or night as needed. Cloud Nine Foaming Cleansing Crème (sensitive, dry skin) or AHA-Mazing Clean Cleansing Gel (all skin types) – Cleanse skin to remove dirt and makeup and ensure absorption of active treatments. Choose one. *Bear’s Blooms currently delivers to Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, and White Rock. If you live outside this area, you can substitute another one of the gifts from our promotion. Gift 2: Pamper Your Body & Your Senses Punch up the smoothness and pamper your skin with an invigorating exfoliating polish and luscious moisturizing butter for the body in our Smooth Skin Body Set and get a gift of a beautifully scented candle from Canvas Candle Company! (value $15.95) Our Smooth Skin Set contains two of our customer favorites and are perfect for bath time indulgence or to pamper someone special: Shea Body Butter – Extra-rich, protective cream made with the highest quality organic shea butter from Africa provides luscious moisture for the skin to heal dry, cracked and callused skin. Bamboo Lemongrass Foaming Body Polish – Revitalize and invigorate your skin and your senses with our foaming body polish! The Best Coast Gold Travel Tin captures the essence of living on the West Coast of British Columbia. Enjoy the sweet scents of evergreen and cedarwood rooted with an earthy vetiver essential oil. This 6oz candle burns for up to 40 hours. Gift 3: Protect Against Odor & Protect Your ‘Stuff’ Sweat confidently and protect against odor, with our Natural Deodorant that works! Available in a set of 3 featuring a variety of essential oil blends, get a gift of a handmade and embroidered cotton pouch from KimandWhit (value $20) when you purchase this set! Use it to protect your essentials including make-up, your glasses or your new deodorant! Our natural deodorant is free from aluminum, parabens and irritating baking soda. We harness the power of enzymes to keep you feeling fresh all day!

Learn more

The Natural Skin Care Conundrum: Better for You?

Natural Skin Care – is it better for you? Customers are demanding safer products and all of us in the skin care industry support this. Yet, many companies would have us believe that only natural and/or organic ingredients are better and safer for the skin. The truth, however, is when it comes to personal care products, “pure,” “natural” or “organic” have no legal meaning. And although many natural skin care products or organic ingredients are purported to be better or safer, they may actually be bad for skin! Shop All Apothekari The marketing machine is a big one and whether cosmetics companies are intentionally misleading customers or whether they really believe some of the things they say, is hard to know. Many companies sell products with ingredients that aren’t really natural or contain natural ingredients that are a problem for skin. By the same token, there are good synthetic ingredients that aren’t a problem for skin and some that are. It’s important to look beyond the marketing claims. Natural skin care products, often made with plant derived ingredients, aren’t bad for skin. In fact, they can offer many benefits. When they are incorporated into treatments such as facial oils, moisturizers and cleansers, they can be very effective. In more targeted treatments, however, synthetics often have the upper hand. And that is because your skin is able to more easily utilize a chemical in its active state (retinaldehyde, niacinamide, l-ascorbic acid) than it is of breaking down a whole plant extract into its individual components. At Apothekari, we formulate with a range of both synthetic and natural ingredients to deliver the best possible outcomes for your skin. Although sometimes it is, here are 5 reasons why a natural product may not always be your best choice: 5 Reasons Why a Natural Product May Not Always the Best Choice ‘Organic’ ingredients or natural skin care products don’t necessarily possess greater inherent safety than another chemically identical version of the same ingredient. In addition to purity concerns, natural extracts are less regulated than synthetic ingredients. The FDA regulates the concentration of synthetic ingredients in skin care products to minimize the potential for irritation, inflammation, and allergic reactions. Natural extracts, however, are generally permitted in concentrations up to whatever the manufacturer feels comfortable with. ‘Natural’ skin care products may be harder to preserve against contamination and mold than synthetic versions. Organic seals of approval on cosmetics should NOT be taken as proof of health benefits or efficacy. Even the USDA Organic seal is a marketing program, not a safety program. (Case in point, a chocolate cake made with organic ingredients is still not the best nutritional choice for anyone). Many natural and organic ingredients (and synthetics aren’t exempt from this either) can be harsh, abrasive and potentially sensitizing. Essential oils are one example. Sure, they smell great but they can be highly problematic when applied to the face. Whole plant extracts are not always better than concentrated ingredients. When you apply a whole plant extract, you rely on your body and your skin to break it down to its active components. This is dependent on the health of your skin, your genetic make-up, etc. When you apply chemical ingredients – retinol, niacinamide, vitamin c – to skin, they are readily available in their active state. Just as important, is that chemical ingredients are often supported by numerous, well-controlled studies to demonstrate their efficacy. This is not always the case for natural, whole plant extracts. I’m not ‘natural’ skin care bashing here, but trying to set the record straight. Natural ingredients aren’t necessarily safer or better than synthetic ones. And synthetic ones aren’t necessarily bad. The truth is that there are both natural and synthetic ingredients that are safe and effective for skin and you shouldn’t be misled to believe that this isn’t the case. At Apothekari, we rely on science to formulate our products with a combination of purified synthetics — retinoids, vitamins C and E, niacinamide, alpha hydroxy acids — as well as botanicals such as aloe juice, powdered bamboo, shea butter and plant extracts (horse chestnut bark, olive leaf, willow herb flower). Our goal is to create products that are safe and effective. And that’s one thing we won’t compromise on!

Learn more