In July the herb pots on a kitchen windowsill grow faster than they can be used. Rosemary, sage, chamomile, lavender. The names of these plants sometimes turn up in the ingredient list of a cosmetic, and the warmth people feel towards the phrase natural origin probably owes something to memories like these.
Soie's Enlight Hand Serum carries the statement that over 95% of its ingredients are of natural origin. This article sets out, as calmly as possible, what that statement means and what it does not. Reading a label accurately is the first step towards choosing something that suits your skin.
Reading the words accurately
What the figure covers
The statement means that more than 95% of the ingredients in the hand serum come from natural sources such as plants. Plant-derived oils: squalane, jojoba seed oil, macadamia seed oil, olive fruit oil. More than twenty botanical extracts, among them rosemary leaf, aloe vera leaf juice, chamomile flower, lavender flower, sage leaf, cucumber fruit and kale leaf. Together these account for most of the formula.
The figure applies to the hand serum alone. Soie's hand and body soap is a different formula with a different list, and the two should not be read as one. Where a brand has more than one product, each statement belongs only to the product it is printed on.
The remaining fraction, under 5%, includes ingredients needed to keep the formula stable and the product in good condition. The full ingredient list is printed on the product page, so anyone with a particular ingredient in mind can check it there.
What the figure does not say
One thing deserves to be stated plainly. Natural origin is not a promise of gentleness. Some plants are irritating to some people. A herb that is perfectly pleasant as a tea may not agree with a particular person's skin.
Soie states the figure in order to be honest about what the formula is made from, not to claim that natural means safe. Gentleness is decided not by where an ingredient comes from but by the formula as a whole and by its relationship with an individual's skin. Not reading more into the words than they say is part of reading a label well.
Checking compatibility with your skin
Suitable for sensitive skin and children, with a caveat
Enlight Hand Serum is formulated to be gentle enough for sensitive skin and for children. That is not the same as saying it suits everyone. Skin differs from one person to the next, and the same person's skin changes with the season and with their general condition.
A patch test asks very little. A drop on the inside of the arm, a day of ordinary life, a glance at the spot the following morning. It is the smallest possible experiment, and it answers the one question that no label can answer in advance: how this formula and this skin get along.
If you are using it for the first time, or your skin is sensitive, we recommend trying a small amount on an inconspicuous area such as the inside of the arm. Wait a day, see how the skin responds, and then begin using it on the hands. This applies to every cosmetic, not only to Soie's.
If it does not agree with you
If you notice redness, itching or irritation, stop using the product. If a symptom that concerns you persists, consult a dermatologist. Stepping back and letting the skin rest protects the hands better in the long run than carrying on to see what happens.
Every relationship with a cosmetic begins with checking compatibility. If a product does not agree with you, it does not mean your skin is unusually weak, nor that the product is at fault. It means the two were not a match, and nothing more.
The role of plant-derived oils
Why, then, are these natural ingredients chosen? Plant-derived oils such as squalane and jojoba seed oil smooth the skin of the hands and support the work of the sebum film that holds water in the stratum corneum. Because washing and friction strip this film from the hands so readily, the quality of the oils used shapes how the hands feel.
Soie's formula combines plant-derived oils with five ceramides and peptides (moisturising ingredients) to support the skin's own ability to hold water. The principle of supporting rather than over-protecting runs through the choice of raw materials as much as through anything else.
Reading the list as a habit
An ingredient list is arranged in descending order of quantity. The hand serum begins with water, squalane, glycerin and jojoba seed oil, then continues through peptides, the five ceramides, botanical extracts and fragrance. Simply noticing where each ingredient sits gives a sense of how the product has been designed.
It also makes comparison fairer. Two products described in the same reassuring words may be built quite differently, and the list is where that difference shows.
The habit of reading the list is a surer basis for judgement than any slogan. Natural origin and gentle formula are doorways into that reading, not answers in themselves.
In Soie's hand serum
Enlight Hand Serum is a beauty serum designed only for the hands. That over 95% of its ingredients are of natural origin is a statement of what Soie chose to build the formula from, and at the same time a request that the words be understood accurately. Try a small amount first; stop if the product does not agree with your skin. Hand beauty comes with these two notes attached.
The full ingredient list and directions are on the hand serum collection page. Questions about ingredients and skin types are also answered in our hand beauty Q&A.
