WHEN you make a home-cooked meal, you are in control of what goes into the dish. You can add or leave out ingredients to suit your body and feel satisfied that you're consuming something healthy and just right for you.
The same applies to homemade skincare. We can pick and choose herbs and plants, which suit our skin or give us the best benefits.
But there is a downside to this. Doing anything from scratch requires time, patience and a whole lot of effort and for many people today, this is just not possible.
So, just as we may look for a good, home caterer to meet our healthy meal needs, we may also turn to skincare brands which promise natural formulations to cater to our beauty routine.
There is definitely an increase in interest today for plant-based skincare and beauty brands which take an ethical approach.
Tanamera co-founder and managing director Mohamad Faisal Ahmad Fadzil says consumers want to feel good about using a product. They want to know that it's safe for them, uses natural ingredients and is also safe for the environment and free of animal cruelty.
"Even in terms of food, we are shifting in this direction. Consumers want to reduce their meat intake, for example, because meat products require more resources to produce than plant-based ones, which are better for the planet and better for us."
BACK TO NATURE
Tanamera is known for its plant-based approach to skincare, using local ingredients, which have traditionally been utilised for beauty and skincare in the region.
The brand advocates the use of natural and raw tropical ingredients, and holds to the belief that Mother Nature has the answer to beauty.
Faisal says it's a nice idea when people want to get all their beauty solutions from the fridge or garden and to do everything fresh, but unfortunately, we live in a time when people also want things to be fast and convenient. This is where brands like Tanamera come in. They help consumers strike a balance between these two needs.
He adds that there is no plant that doesn't have some health or beauty function. Even if the plant is toxic, if one uses it in the right or correct amount, it can still be beneficial, which is also the principle of Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
The humble pegaga (pennywort), for example, is a miracle herb, he explains. It's naturally anti-ageing, improves skin cell reproduction, and works on acne and scarring.
Turmeric, a common kitchen ingredient, is a potent anti-inflammatory agent and has been used on the face and body for centuries by Indian women.
The brand, which was recently certified by The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom and now carries the Vegan Trademark on all its products, does utilise many common kitchen ingredients including kaffir lime, lemongrass, pandan and wild ginger.
"A lot of our ingredients are food based. I have actually fried salmon marinated in our lulur scrub because everything in it is food-based and safe. If you know for a fact that the plant is part of food then it's definitely safe."
UNDERSTANDING ORGANIC
But one should not be easily taken in by terms such as "organic" or "natural", which are widely used today.
The term organic has been so misused, stresses Faisal. It also differs from country to country. In the United States, for example, to claim one's brand as organic, 75 per cent of the ingredients in the product must be organic-certified. Some brands may claim to be organic but are not organic-certified, he explains.
"I know big brands which sometimes use that word but have every single chemical in their product. They may have only a bit of organic oil in their formulation, but they still emphasise the word organic."
There are good organic certifications in the world, he adds, and if these brands are not certified, then their claims mean little.
When it comes to "natural", there is no clear definition of what a natural product is. Faisal says he has seen brands that put in chemicals into their product, but still claim it's natural.
For Tanamera he adds, the definition they have given themselves is that all ingredients used have to be plant-based or plant sourced. They do use preservatives in their products but only plant-based preservatives and no artificial perfumes or colours. Their focus is on being natural and vegan.
