Popular Questions
To be sure you are getting truly natural skincare you should look for the mark of a natural certification such as BDIH/COSMOS. BIDH/COSMOS only certifies 'safe' and 'green' products and do not allow any of the unsafe synthetic ingredients now commonly found in many personal care products.
Living Nature skincare contains natural ingredients and fragrances, and is certified to one of the world's highest natural standards by BDIH Germany.
Cosmetic ingredients are virtually unregulated and while many products claim to be ‘natural’, the absence of any regulating body means that there are different levels of natural available in the market. Some ranges may produce a high-quality product with high levels of natural ingredients but still contain some ingredients that you may want to avoid.
Living Nature is committed to bringing consumers products that are truly natural and comply with strict natural compliance standards. This ensures our products are honest and safe.
Yes, Living Nature is a cruelty free brand. Living Nature’s global certification bodies BDIH/COSMOS ensures ingredient sourcing, product manufacturing and safety testing are conducted using industry best standards and are animal cruelty free.
Not only do we NOT agree with the ethical side of animal testing, we believe the science is also flawed as the DNA and make-up of animal skin is completely different to that of humans.
All formulations are sent to an EU registered external assessment company, where they are fully assessed for safety prior to release. We also do in house in-vivo testing on human volunteers.
While many of our products are vegan friendly, some contain honey, beeswax or bee venom which are considered animal by-products and therefore not vegan friendly.
Vegan friendly products: Sensitive Hydrating Toner, Sensitive Day Moisture, Sensitive Night
Moisture, Active Brightening Serum, Luminous Pressed Powder, 'Pure Shades' Foundations,
Summer Bronze Pressed Powder, Blush, Radiance Night Oil, Ultimate Day Oil and Kekebaby
Massage Oil.
Living Nature recommend using most products within 6 months from opening to ensure the freshest delivery of our natural products and ingredients.
Most of our skincare and body care products have a life span of 2-3 years, the batch date is visible on the back or side of the bottle. For example: Aug 2023.
Our lip balm and makeup products carrying a PAO (period after opening) number which indicates the number of months a product will remain fresh after opening. You will see an open pot symbol on our packaging with the months noted on the pot. For example: 12 M
We always advise you to carry out patch testing prior to use of any new products. The way to do this, is to apply a small amount on your inner arm (close to the elbow). You can cover this with a dry plaster to keep it in place. Apply the product twice a day for 2 - 3 days. If no reaction is present, we then recommend applying a small amount behind the ear (or under the chin) in the same way for approximately 2-3 days, prior to introducing it onto your face.
Yes, we have increased our pricing across 11 products in our core skincare range by a maximum of 10%, however we have also increased the volume of the same 11 skus by 20% to offer better value. We believe this is the best step forward to allow us to continue providing high quality, New Zealand made natural products while ensuring the ongoing viability of the brand.
Living Nature's products are considered safe for use during pregnancy, however you should always consult your doctor before use or if you have a specific medical condition and if you have a known allergy to certain ingredients, we would always advise you to carry out patch testing prior to use of any new products.
Ingredients
Yes we use many, look for the organic ingredient with stars in the ingredient listing.
Across the whole Living Nature range, we have used organic ingredients where possible. As many of our ingredients are wild harvested, they cannot, at this stage, be certified organic. Wild harvesting is however a process the certifying bodies are now recognising, which may result in a form of certification in the future.
Living Nature is proud to offer one of the most natural skincare and cosmetic ranges in the world and will continue to develop our organic policy and subsequent product offering over time.
We do not use what is commonly called ‘alcohol’ in any of our formulations. Isopropanol, butanol, ethanol, glycerol, methanol are examples of the alcohols which are used extensively in cosmetics, cleansers, aftershaves, bubble baths, shaving creams and mouth washes. These solvents may strip the natural oils which protect our skin, causing drying out of the skin and can lead to skin problems and skin imbalance.
The reference to “alcohol” on our labels refers to the cetearyl wheat straw glycosides and cetearyl alcohol, and this is different to the harmful alcohols mentioned above. Cetearyl alcohol is made from vegetable oil and joined to the wheat glycoside from the wheat straw, to make a very gentle and nourishing binder for the water and oil parts of our formulations. We also love that it includes the pentose sugars essential for transporting active ingredients into our cells. It is a waxy substance resembling our own human sebum (oil on the skin), absorbs readily and is extremely nourishing and protecting on the skin, leaving that soft, smooth feeling (naturally).
Living Nature is committed to bringing our customers the most natural, pure and safe products on the market. Due to the naturally occurring components of our products however, it is impossible to entirely avoid certain residues in natural mineral ingredients that are found in all water sources and food on a daily basis.
This is the case with aluminium which can occur as a trace residue in talc. Cosmetic products are intended solely for topical application and formulated with large non-absorbing molecules to ‘sit’ on-top of the skin, thereby creating the visible make-up layer on the skin while performing a dual function of skin protection.
The amount of aluminium present in a single ingredient within an entire makeup formulation, is in an absolute minute quantity (trace amount). The amount that is actually applied to the skin, coupled with the skin’s bioavailability, namely the fraction that is actually taken up into the blood stream, would be infinitesimal.
There is no deliberate inclusion / addition of any known or suspected risk ingredient and all of our cosmetic powder products are in a bound form to prevent inhalation.
Talc is naturally occurring magnesium silicate. Living Nature uses the purest and certified asbestos free. Talc, as with all powders (rice and corn included) creates a problem if inhaled into the lungs in their dry form. Once a powder is ‘bound’ with oils, this is no longer an issue. Living Nature powders do contain oils and emulsifiers that provide this binding.
Mineral make-up and mineral powders contain large molecules that do not penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin, but sit on-top of the skin, creating a barrier, offering colour, camouflage and protection to the skin, until it is removed at the end of the day.
The majority of Living Nature products are gluten-free. The products listed below do contain small amounts of Wheat Germ Oil in the formulation. Living Nature’s ‘pure’ Wheat Germ Oil is derived from the seed heads however, the refining process of the oil removes all gluten proteins in theory but some refining methods can lead to small traces of gluten remaining in the Wheat Germ Oil. All Living Nature ingredients are sourced from reputable suppliers and must meet our vigorous certifying body BDIH standards, all Living Nature ingredients are manufactured at the highest quality.
Balancing Day Lotion, Nourishing Day Cream, Rich Day Cream, Firming Flax Serum, Nourishing Night Cream, Balancing Night Gel, Deep Cleansing Mask, Ultra Nourishing Mask, Ultimate Day Oil.
It is important to note, that reputable research indicates that the topical application of a minuscule amount of ‘possible’ gluten residue, will have no negative effect on Celiac sufferers. As each individual’s condition presents differently, and we cannot rule out the small possibility of gluten residue being found in the Wheat Germ Oil, we recommend patch testing the above products, as with all Living Nature products, prior to use if you are gluten intolerant or Celiac.
No - Cetearyl Wheat Straw Glycoside is extracted from the wheat stalks only, after the seed heads have been removed. Gluten is only contained in the seeds heads and the wheat stalks do not contain any gluten.
Mica is used in the Living Nature mineral make-up formulations to offer their amazing light reflecting properties, including giving the make-up sparkle and shine.
Living Nature is committed to partner only with suppliers that can guarantee ethical sourcing that ensures no child or undeclared labour is employed. Our suppliers regularly conduct strict audits, by internationally accredited auditing firms to verify only ethical mining extraction practices are used.
No, Living Nature uses only natural plant derived essential oils to create our unique fragrance, which has been specifically blended for Living Nature. ‘Parfum’ is the standard terminology required by INCI labelling regulations, to include all fragrance components of a product.
Living Nature’s products do not contain Palm Oil. We do use Palm derivatives certified by BDIH and sourced from a supplier who is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. The RSPO is committed to sustainable practices and supports the initiative by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and champions the cause of ecologically sound cultivation for Palm. To add to the rigour of our processes, our BDIH and COSMOS certification also requires strict standards in terms of the integrity and authenticity of our ingredient sourcing.
Packaging
Living Nature do not currently offer refills due to the risk of contamination through offering this
service. Living Nature formulations are expertly crafted to offer safe, effective results, and they are protected by a delicate natural preservative system. While our preservative is challenge tested to ensure our formulations perform to the required standards, it is essential that we prevent possible means of contamination (such as from air, water, hands) to ensure our formulations are not compromised.
Living Nature do not offer refills for our Luminous Pressed Powders, Blushers or Bronzer at this time. The cases for these products are made from aluminium, while the pans are made from tinplate, both recyclable materials. Once the product is finished please remove the foam insert holding the pan in place and recycle.
Living Nature’s Blusher case is the same as our Eyeshadow Compact cases and made from
cardboard and paper, the pans from tinplate, again recyclable materials. Once you finish the product please remove the elasticated band and place in your recycling.
Card used for our Skincare range cartons is sourced from renewable forests and contains no toxins or elemental chlorine bleach.
Living Nature’s Skincare range new outer packaging (launched 2021) is made from soy based inks printed on sustainable PEFC certified card, which is 100% recyclable and contains no toxins or elemental chlorine bleaches. PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) is a leading global alliance of national forest certification systems. This non-profit organisation is dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification. Tracing material through the supply chain from forest to the end consumer, PEFC works to ensure forests are protected and maintained for future generations.
In a step towards reducing our environmental footprint we have improved our recyclability with the launch of new kerbside recyclable bottles – they are now plastic grade 1!
We do have future plans to further improve on the type of plastic we use; this initial change is the first step.
The natural ingredients in our products, and the lack of synthetic preservatives such as parabens, has meant we have had to take extra precautions to protect our products from exposure to the air.
Our solution was a positively charged dispensing system (cap on the bottom of the product) which limits the amount of air that the product is exposed to, eliminates the need for complex pumps that can't be recycled, and ensures that the last drops of product are easily available to our customers.
Glass poses a greater risk at breaking within our production facility and during transport, in addition to being more expensive and much heavier than plastic.
Living Nature are taking steps to improve our environmental footprint by changing our plastic bottles from PP (plastic grade 5) to PET bottles (plastic grade 1), as PET is more easily recycled. We do have future plans to further improve on the type of plastic we use; this initial change is the first step.
Living Nature’s serum range and pure shades foundation range are available in glass bottles.
Product Specific
Living Nature continues to work on improving our range by periodically re-formulating, updating and improving products to keep pace with research and market requirements. Regrettably, Living Nature’s cosmetic pencils are no longer viable to produce. We have therefore made the decision to discontinue these products. Earth Eye Pencil, Storm Eye Pencil and Woods Lip Pencil are now unavailable. Limited quantities of Laughter Lip Pencil and Midnight Eye Pencil are still available while stocks last.
Day time use is not recommended for the Radiance Night Oil as the oils degenerate more in the light and be inclined to create additional photo-sensitivity. This is the reason why we recommend the Radiance Night Oil be used as an evening treatment for the skin or only applied as a leave on product as the final step in a facial if it is later in the day or evening.
Earth Eye Pencil, Storm Eye Pencil, Woods Lip Pencil, Nourishing Body Wash, 100% Pure Mānuka Oil, Balancing Shampoo, Balancing Conditioner, the Skin Steps packs, Refreshing Body Lotion, Skin Revive Exfoliant, Gentle Cleansing Shaving Gel, Soothing Aftershave Gel, Soothing Moisturiser, Vitality Body Oil, Tranquility Body Oil and Purifying Hand Wash have been deleted. Living Nature continues to work on improving our range by periodically re-formulating, updating and improving products to keep pace with research and market requirements. Regrettably these products have become uneconomical to produce. We have therefore decided to discontinue.
Living Nature liquid mineral foundations are created from certified natural pigments and other
ingredients, and are subject to minute natural variations in the components. Occasionally this means the liquid product can appear slightly different in colour to previous batches, however each batch is meticulously colour matched to ensure it is within specification for the required shade – these checks are done to match the dried appearance of the product, as this is how foundations are worn. The appearance of the product in the bottle can also alter slightly over time and usage, so it is not unusual for a new bottle to look slightly different to the remnants of an older one. This is normal and does not indicate a colour-matching discrepancy for the shade.
Shipping
See our Shipping and Delivery Page for more details
Skin Concerns
Living Nature products are produced from natural and plant derived ingredients. These ingredients have a very fine molecular structure, which enables excellent product penetration into the skin and do not clog the pores. Synthetic and petroleum derived ingredients are often the cause of blockages resulting in black-heads.
Our fragrances are derived only from natural essential oil components. The percentage of these components within each product is extremely small. We do, however, list any potential allergens on our packaging to assist customers who may have a particular sensitivity. The likelihood of anyone having an allergic reaction to one of our products is very small but possible.
We always advise you to carry out patch testing prior to use of any new products. The way to do this, is to apply a small amount on your inner arm (close to the elbow). You can cover this with a dry plaster to keep it in place. Apply the product twice a day for 2 - 3 days. If no reaction is present, we then recommend applying a small amount behind the ear (or under the chin) in the same way for approximately 2-3 days, prior to introducing it onto your face.