In the beauty world - so often accused of a sort of moral bankruptcy, from hair extensions in shampoo ads to chemicals in face cream - a growing band of brothers (and sisters) is fighting the ethical corner and displaying, in particular, concerns for beauty's impact on the environment.
Godfather of them all is Mark Constantine, who heads up Lush cosmetics (its tag line is "fresh, homemade cosmetics") and is already well-known for being the man who supplied Anita Roddick at The Body Shop with her peppermint foot lotion and other iconic products - none of which, crucially, were tested on animals.
Since Roddick's death, in 2007, he has been hailed as the "new Anita" and is seen as the beauty industry's most vocal campaigner on ethical issues. "I do believe we have to make a contribution, so therefore you've got to step up," he says. "After Anita had gone, it was time. Who else is going to do it?"
Ethical crusades have moved on from animal welfare, though, and one of Constantine's latest campaigns has been the eradication of palm oil from Lush's products. (The Body Shop got a bashing, late last year, for buying its palm oil from a company that evicted peasant families in Colombia in order to develop a plantation.)
After his son, Simon, went on a recce to Borneo and reported that "sustainable palm oil" was a whopping oxymoron, the decision was taken to make all their soaps without it. "It's been a huge job - it's been 18 months now, and lots of work to get the quality; we've just, magically, got to the point where it's better than it was before we started. But, across the board, we can't keep using palm oil - it's in something like one in 10 things we buy, and whole counties have been bulldozed and covered in palm trees and nothing else at all, so it's part of the destruction of the rainforest."
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Constantine is so committed to the cause that he happily shares the details of his supplier for the palm oil substitute to anyone who wants it. "It's the difference between 'green wash' and green; is it a marketing ploy or is it real? If you're genuinely interested in improving the environment, then you're obviously going to tell others. Do you want palm trees everywhere and no rainforest, no orang-utans? No? Well, behave better, then."
For all the pontificating, the man himself is not what you expect. For starters, there isn't a hair shirt or Jesus sandal in sight: he's dressed smartly head to toe in Paul Smith. He is nothing like a ranting windbag, being affable, humorous and chatty. He admits that nothing, even strongly held ethical beliefs, is always black and white. He loves flying, for instance, but has banned all internal UK flights for his firm.
He doesn't drive ("I don't know how to, it always looks so unbelievably complicated. If it was introduced now, nobody would do it - for a start, health and safety wouldn't allow it"), but will happily get in a taxi ("I do have an Oyster card, I must point out. I'm not in taxis all the time. I see them as public transport, anyway") and transports his goods by road - though largely because the current distribution system allows for no other way.
He's a vegetarian, but wears leather shoes. "I'm the ultimate compromise person, aren't I? But that's the point: everyone compromises and, to be honest, those who don't, you don't want to be with. We have to do our bit, but it's important that it's embracing, not pious. I hate the lecturing and hectoring."
Constantine's straight talk is as bold as the pungent smell that surrounds every Lush store; it's a love-it-or-hate-it aroma. "A lot of people don't like the smell," he admits, but there is a valid reason for it. "It's the smell of an unpackaged product. It's the smell of the future, really. So when everyone gets into that kind of stuff, that's how it's going to smell. For example, a third of soap disappears into the ether - we call it the angels' share. So when we make a block of soap, a third has gone within a month, it's desiccated, and that's partly what you smell."
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At Constantine's heart lies simply a genuine love of the beauty business and making women look good. "I embrace everything the cosmetics industry represents. The thought of being able to change someone's appearance gives me a knot in my stomach. More so now that we have the spa [Lush recently started offering spa treatments], because if I have someone for two hours, I can really do something. I don't want to sound manipulative, but what I love in my business is that it's creating an effect without you necessarily knowing how I've done it, so there's a touch of magic."
That's partly where those distinctive smells come into play. "People are used to words and poetry, so you have to work like nobody's business to get an effect with them. It's the same thing with music. But perfume! Nobody has a barrier for that, they haven't a clue what I'm doing - I can nip in there, grab part of your brain and your emotions and you don't even know what I've done. I can get to people's emotions, it's a great privilege."
With privilege comes (corporate) responsibility. For his latest campaigning trick, Constantine hopes to eradicate gift-packaging by offering the Lush Knot Wrap, derived from a Japanese tradition of wrapping items in silk scarves (his team has been sourcing vintage ones). "I've been using scarves for wrapping everything for some time."
Now he wants everyone to do it. "I'd love this to catch on. I'd like it to be like the Filofax was for Paul Smith." It's all part of the choices we can make, he says. "I'm a great believer in adaptation - I don't believe we're all doomed. By innovating, you can have everything you want, and I will create less rubbish, which means you'll have less rubbish and no guilty conscience." Sounds like a fair trade.
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More companies with a conscience
Joanna McGarry
Nude Skincare After revolutionising the way we shop for food with Fresh & Wild, the Harvard graduate Bryan Meehan turned his attentions to beauty. Realising that his customers weren't spending on organic beauty products as they would with food (claiming that natural alternatives lacked efficacy), he created Nude Skincare. Radically changing the way natural skincare was perceived, Meehan did away with archaic packaging and created a modern, utilitarian aesthetic for his combination of chemically active ingredients and skin-soothing naturals.
Chantecaille Proving that you needn't sacrifice glamour to be environmentally aware, the luxe brand Chantecaille has been partnering scientists and conservationists since 2006 in a bid to preserve endangered animals, coastlines, the coral reef and the high seas through its themed products and collections directed at specific causes. According to its founder, Sylvie Chantecaille: "Our customers are very intelligent women with the power to make a difference."
Ojon Ten years ago, Denis Simioni, an ad executive, was handed a small pot of oil by a relative who had been travelling. Stunned by its hair-restoring qualities, Simioni embarked on a journey to discover its origins. That same oil has now become the Ojon haircare range. Working with Mopawi, a nonprofit group dedicated to sustainable development in northeastern Honduras, Ojon helps provide a steady income for the indigenous groups that continue to harvest the oil.
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Ren As one of the relatively few beauty companies that offer recyclable packaging, Ren has been leading by example since its conception in 2000. The luxury bath and skincare brand also donates a minimum of 2.5% of its profits to a carefully chosen campaign or cause that is close to the heart of its founders. This year, Ren will be supporting Bliss, a charity that provides vital care for premature babies across the UK.