Read this article about the cosmetic product BeeBee, which appeared in the Lifestyle page of The Move.

Biomed Goes Green with BeeBee Beautiful

The concept of 'green' has come a long way since it first started being used in Western Europe in the late 1960s. The first official Green Party was founded in West Germany, and now green politics are part of the political landscape in several European countries, including Britain. A few years ago, Green activists negotiating in Europe were successful in bringing changes to the EU's Cosmetic Directives. The pressure they exerted resulted in a ban on animal testing which has been welcomed by those in the cosmetics industry who compete to capture the market for 'natural' cosmetics, and who stress that animal testing is contrary to their philosophy.

Many businesses are now active in marketing Green products, with some companies (especially in the cosmetics business) promising to save or restore the environment by planting trees, cleaning up streams and lakes, protecting parks and promoting the use of recyclable packaging. Many companies do not hesitate to organise expeditions to Africa, Latin America or Indonesia in search of new ingredients of natural origin.

The latest company to enter this lucrative market is the pharmaceutical giant Biomed. They have been working with herbs and natural essential oils for several years, but now they are collaborating with the modelling agency, Beautiful Babes, to launch a new range of products, BeeBee Beautiful, which take full advantage of the natural benefits of herbs and oils and are sold at realistic prices. But what exactly entitles a company to label its products 'green'?

According to the Beautiful Babes chairman, James Foley, who launched the BeeBee product range last week in a blaze of publicity, this new line of cosmetics is 'as green as you can get.' Standing alongside former top model Melanie Buchanan beneath a large banner proclaiming 'Buy BeeBee Beautiful By Biomed!', he proclaimed, 'We are very concerned for the environment. For this reason, we use glass jars so they can be recycled and all our literature is printed on paper which comes from a company that plants three trees for every one they cut down. Our ingredients are obtained from natural sources such as herbs and plants and none of our products are packed in aerosol containers. All this makes our products ideal for the 'green' consumer. We guarantee that we do not use any animal ingredients, but only natural herbal and organic alternatives.'

So let's believe the hype, and assume that the product is green. But what will it do to your skin? No doubt customers will soon be deciding for themselves, but here at The Move we are currently submitting this new range of cosmetics to a series of rigorous tests. Our findings will be published shortly.