The Queen review of the year

As the year comes to an end (not an original start or premise, I realise), we thought we would have a little muse on what's happened here at Queen Cosmetics during 2008.

This time last year we launched our online shop www.queen-cosmetics.com. Given Queen is 81 and as far from cutting edge as it's possible to get (we revel in this by the way - it's abacuses and quill pens all the way here) we did recognise that this was a move we needed to make. We still get ridiculously excited when emails ping up alerting us to the face that a customer has placed an order online but there have been teething problems and strange things do seem to keep happening. Yesterday, the aforementioned email alerts didn't ping up, meaning that some customers' orders were missed, much to our chagrin. One customer declared that she was 'desperate for some Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream' for herself (she was also buying extra to give as presents) and could we get it to her ASAP.

We look forward to improving the site over the coming year and to reaching more people who may benefit from the Queen range.

As if this giant step into the 21st Century wasn't enough, we also launched our first new product in very many years following increasing demand for an anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin. Sensiderma Renew & Refine, which contains a peptide which works to reduce the appearance of expression lines and wrinkles, is such a lovely cream and, so far, it is proving very popular and getting rave reviews. Actually, it is the bestseller online, followed by Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream and Queen stalwarts Moisturiser and Medicated Cleansing Cream (the best cleanser and moisturiser for any skin, not just sensitive skin, in our view!).

Prospects for the year ahead include increasing the range of Queen products available at our London stockist John Bell & Croyden and to finalising our small range of organic products. We recognise that the year ahead could be difficult but we will continue to give an excellent service (online blips aside) and can persuade our customers to stay with us by continuing to offer what we believe are top quality skin care and make-up products at a good price.

Well, as I wait for the latest batch of Queen Skin Cream (I cannot live without this at the moment - hourly applications are staving off dry lips a treat) to cool down, I would like to thank all our customers for their continued support and wish you all a festive New Year's Eve and a happy and healthy 2009 on behalf of Queen.

We hope to see you soon.

The Team at Queen

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Singing Queen's praises (again!)

Gosh, it's been rather busy here at Queen, so much so that we haven't had time for much other than manufacturing and dispatching orders. Not that we are complaining, you understand.

Our second batch of Sensiderma Renew & Refine, our anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin, has hit the shelves and customers are already re-ordering. Writes one by email:

"I am LOVING it particularly the fact that it makes my skin feel all soft and, dare I say it, plump."

And the praise has not been reserved for Renew & Refine alone. Oh no. One new customer called last week to place an order and told us that Sensiderma Rich Cleanser left her skin feeling: "all velvety, like baby skin, I can't think of any other way of describing it." Another said of Queen Skin Cream (that old stalwart!): "It is just gorgeous, what amazing stuff." She was also after some more Sensiderma Rich Cleanser and said she would be "working her way slowly through the Queen range after discovering it at John Bell & Croyden on a recent trip to London".

Sales have also been perky at John Bell & Croyden (lovely pharmacy on Wigmore Street in London). Medicated Cleansing Lotion and our Moisturiser have been the big favourites although they are almost out of Theatrical Cleansing Cream too. So are we for that matter so that's a priority over the Christmas break.

Sorry if we sound like we're bragging but if we don't tell the world, noone else will! May as well continue with the own trumpet blowing to say that one new customer has defected to Queen from the Ella Bache range. I was only writing the other day about how we may benefit from customers moving away from super-expensive ranges to products which are good value but just as good, if not better, in terms of their effectiveness (i.e. Queen!). Mind you, we are not complacent in thinking that customers won't look for cheaper alternatives to Queen. This is clearly a possibility, although of course there is no alternative in our minds, which is why we are determined to hold prices for as long as possible despite the cost of everything else increasing. We haven't actually increased our prices for two years.

Well, we just wanted to touch base to show that we are still very much alive and kicking. If we don't get a chance to post before the festive season starts, have a great one and see you in 2009.

The Team at Queen

Technorati Tags: Queen,Sensiderma Renew & Refine,Sensiderma Rich Cleanser,Queen Skin Cream,Medicated Cleansing Lotion,Theatrical Cleansing Cream,John Bell & Croyden,anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin

It's official: Queen Cosmetics products rival luxury cosmetic brands!

Well, it's been a busy few weeks what with visits to sunny (no, it wasn't) Telford for an ingredients' suppliers exhibition and orders for Queen Sensiderma Renew & Refine, our super-duper new anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin (in case you didn't know!).

The exhibition was thankfully worthwhile as it was a fair old trek from Sussex and traipsing around exhibition halls is hell on the feet. We met a great supplier of organic and non-organic oils and hope to start experimenting with some of their organic fruit and seed blends soon to get our organic range up and running.

We met the manufacturer of the peptide for our anti-wrinkle cream there and had a good chat with him. His company is small but very hi-tech with a fantastic research arm and they are beginning to get some of their wonderful products out into the market, including sale of one of their peptides to a one of the premium brands. This company is marketing the cream which contains the peptide at 200 euros and the only active ingredient in the cream is the peptide. Our cream is a mere fraction of this at £35.25 (and it's currently on offer at £30.00!) so let's hope that, in this horrid economic climate we are all facing, people realise they can get a similar cream from Queen Cosmetics and save themselves a fortune. They won't go back to their old brand if they do!

In fact, we have just had a new customer on the telephone say as much:

 "I am used to spending a lot of money on cosmetics," she said, "but I have found your Moisturiser rivals anything I have previously used and I can't believe what good value it is. I want to try the rest of the Queen range now!" 

In fact, we have had quite a few new customers over the last couple of weeks which is great news, even if it's taken some of them a whole eight months to place an order after first having free samples! Either our samples are just too big or it is true what marketing experts say about people needing six or seven exposures (i.e. a letter, seeing advertising or an article, visiting a website, hearing about it from a friend etc etc) to something before taking the plunge of buying.

There's not really much to report his week. We are nearly completely out of Theatrical Cleansing Cream, our preservative-free cleanser for removing even stubborn (e.g theatre) make-up, and so that's on the manufacturing agenda for tomorrow. In fact, stocks of most products are looking quite low so we will hopefully have time over the quiet Christmas period to get the stirrers whirring.

See you soon

The Queen Team

Technorati Tags: Queen Cosmetics,anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin,peptides,Moisturiser,Theatrical Cleansing Cream,sensitive skin

A little look at these nano particles in cosmetics

I've been reading lots of press coverage this week about the potential danger posed by nano particles in cosmetics. The renewed interest (the issue was first raised by the Royal Society back in 2004 and then again in 2006) has been sparked by a report issued last week by consumer watchdog Which?

The Which? report, entitled Small Wonder: Nanotechnology in Cosmetics said that 'nano materials are being used in a wide range of cosmetic products despite unresolved issues surrounding their safety' and raised concerns about the fact that most nano materials 'do not have to undergo an independent safety assessement'.

While the watchdog was clear that it wasn't saying the use of nanotechonology in cosmetics was a bad thing, it was concerned about safety testing and that so few companies came forward when asked for information about the nanotechnology used in their products.

As you know, Queen does not operate at the glamorous end of hi-tech cosmetics (although we have finally dipped our toe into the anti-wrinkle cream market - more of that later), preferring to continue to plow our lonely furrow of highly effective yet simple, high-quality, unperfumed products exclusively for sensitive skin. As such, nano-particles are not something we have looked at. Yet, the fact that so many companies are using them - some Which? says without even declaring that they are doing so - just underlines yet again how the industry is marketing driven, with companies desperate to be able to offer consumers the non-invasive (painful and costly) equivalents of Botox injections and other surgical procedure.

So, what exactly is nanotechnology and where is it used in the cosmetic industry? According to Which?, it's 'a revolutionary new way of manipulating materials on a tiny scale, giving them new properties and potentially beneficial capabilities'. There are nano emulsions which are used to preserve active ingredients such as vitamins and anti-oxidants and which enable creams such as sunscreen to be very light and transparent and also carbon fullerenes which are used in anti-ageing products.

We're not taking the moral high ground here (look how we've bowed to demand for an anti-wrinkle product!) but if, as I'm sure is the case, these nano-particles are so great and perfectly safe, the big cosmetic players should surely be prepared to be more open or the industry risks shooting itself in the foot. So far, there has been a government voluntary reporting scheme on the use and development of nano particles (to guide the development of regulations). This has had limited success so more stringent regulations are bound to be brought in, perhaps without input from the industry. Regulation is, of course, a good thing but wouldn't it be great if it was the cosmetic companies proactively saying ''we welcome regulation, this is what we're doing and here's all the safety assessments etc', thus building confidence in an industry which feels as if it is always being knocked by ingredient scare story after ingredient scare story. Not only does trust in the industry suffer but consumers may end up not benefiting from ingredients such as nano-particles which could be the best thing to happen to cosmetics.

If there was more trust in the industry or the industry was prepared to be more forthcoming and open, perhaps the whole parabens scare wouldn't have been so dramatic and had such far reaching consequences. In an article in November's SCP about preservatives, the article's author Chris Nichols writes:  'The story behind the parabens problem is not a new one...popular ingredient gets attacked by poorly thought out/poorly researched/poorly written science..story gets picked up by press/internet...industry bows to remove ingredient......What is different in the case of parabens is it is the first time that this level of damage has been sustained by such a widely used ingredient and one universally regarded as 'safe'.'

He goes on to say that as one permitted (on the EU Cosmetic Directive list Annex VI) preservative is knocked down so the next one in line is exposed and there are not an infinite number of them.

At the end of his article, called 'The Preservative Paradigm', Chris Nichols says: 'We use preservatives to comply with the cosmetic directive that "cosmetic products should not be harmful under normal or foreseeable conditions of use". It is getting harder to find preservatives that are acceptable to much of our target market. If we continue to lurch from crisis to crisis, we will eventually run out of options'.

Anyway, enough of all this serious stuff. We are pleased to say great feedback for our Sensiderma Renew & Refine (our anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin) is flooding in. 'Ooh, yes I can already see a difference,' says one customer upgrading to full-size bottle after trying her sample. 'It's lovely, light, feels really nice on my skin and I need some more.' Keep using it, we say!

Have a good weekend.

Technorati Tags: nano-particles,nanotechnology in cosmetics,Sensiderma Renew & Refine,anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin,Queen,parabens

Mother knows best when it comes to sensitive skin

A young woman came down to our HQ this morning. She said 'my mum usually comes but she's broken her wrist'. 'What would she like', I asked. 'Oh, it's not for her actually, it's for me. I need an Eye Make-up Remover. I've been using it for years. I've got really sensitive eyes and can't use anything else without them becoming sore and itchy.'

I love this. She is only 26 and is already a devoted Queen customer. Mark my words she will be complimented on her amazingly youthful skin in thirty years or so! She was introduced to the products by her mum like so many of our customers. We've had quite a few mother/daughter orders this week. One  such order came in on Wednesday. This particular daughter places an order once or twice a year for them both and they stock up on everything they are likely to need (and they also like to try any new products so Sensiderma Renew & Refine was obviously a must!).

It's interesting the different ways in which customers behave. One particular client orders a 50g jar of one of our moisturisers every two weeks. We have suggested that it would be cheaper to have a 100g jar every month but she prefers it her way. Others will place a bulk order every 6-9 months

One of the questions we ask on our online survey (see our homepage at www.queen-cosmetics.com to take part) is 'how long does a jar of cream or a bottle of cleanser last you?'. Almost 60% of respondees say a month or two but this doesn't seem to correlate to how most of our clients actually do order which is certainly less frequently. Do they go without for a few months/weeks or does time just fly so fast that they don't realise more than a month or two has gone by? I suspect it could be the latter.

Some more nice feedback this week. A new customer writes: 'I have been using your products since August and I am very pleased with the results. I have very sensitive skin but I have had no bad reactions to your products,  just nice smooth skin.'

She adds: 'I recently bought a trial size of the anti wrinkle cream, Sensiderma Renew & Refine, which I also like very much and would be interested in trying your organic cream too.'

Excuse all this self-congratulatory stuff but if we don't tell people how fabulous our customers think Queen products are, who will?!

Elsewhere, Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream, currently on special off at just £6.00 (buy some, buy some at www.queen-cosmetics.com) is the order of the week. Fair flying off the shelves it is. Having suffered some criticism of our 'tottles' (sort of tube/bottles and not the prettiest receptacles, we do realise), this week they have been getting some positive reviews. Phew! We always find it hard to find packaging we can buy in small minimum quantities so I will perhaps hold off a bit before researching some replacements.

Right, time to get the orders ready for the postman.

Have a good weekend.

The Team at QC

Finding value cosmetics which actually work

There's been quite a flurry of activity here today which is nice given the doom and gloom about the economy. Whether the cosmetics' market proves to be recession-proof remains to be seen, however, and we cannot be smug or complacent. Traditionally, people (or women!) have continued to buy their favourite skincare and make-up products in an economic downturn but the industry is in uncharted territory at the moment.

SPC, our industry mag, explains it well in this month's editorial:

"The idea is that if people can't afford a car or a designer dress, they can at least treat themselves to the designer's fragrance or a nice lipstick."

Editor Clare Henderson goes on to say: "But when things get as serious as they seem to be doing at the moment perhaps that traditional thinking now sounds a little too optimistic.

"For the moment, premiumisation continues to be a strong trend, with consumers determined to get their hands on products that work, while niche is still a great draw for those looking for something different."

She adds: "But in the current economic climate can this be sustained indefinitely? And, what of the superluxe sector? Is this customer pool likely to take a temporary dip?" And concludes: "We can at least be confident that people will always buy personal care products. For the time being though, it's a question of which ones."

Despite being 87 years old, Queen hasn't really been here before. Our marketplace was well-heeled, fashionable young women in the 1930s, 40s and 50s and this was our heyday. These customers seemed to have sensible heads on their shoulders. In an interview with Lady Dartmouth (better known as Countess Raine Spencer) in the Observer in the 1960s, she said she had always used Queen products as they were "terribly cheap and terribly pure"!

This says to me that there wasn't a need to spend or be seen to spend a fortune on products (or there weren't the highly expensive luxury brands around then that there are now) but that efficacy was the most important factor.

Hopefully, this will stand us in good stead as will the fact that we have a niche, namely sensitive skin. Our products are, we believe, excellent value and, most importantly, they do work. Maybe we will even benefit from people 'downgrading' and looking for quality cosmetics at reasonable prices. We will see.

Anyway, I thought I might just spend a few moments blowing our own trumpet.

Someone writes after trialling our organic formula moisturiser:

"I was wondering when you were planning on launching this as I love it. I have quite sensitive skin and this is just perfect, no irritation or redness, and it's lovely and rich, without being too heavy.

"I suffer terribly in winter from dry and reddened skin, and my normal day cream isn't sufficient. I've tried others and usually end up going back to Origins Never Say Dry, but it's really a bit too heavy."

Hurrah. We know it's good but it's always good to hear it!

Off to catch the post. Have a good weekend.

The Queen Team

Technorati Tags: Queen,sensitive skin,organic formula moisturiser,cosmetics

Lanolin is lovely. Really.

We've just had the following email:

"I have just had some patch tests completed with my dermatologist and have been told I have reactions to perfume/essential oils, lanolin and sodium metabisulphite."

This is typical of the sort of inquiry we get and reinforces what we always say about perfume and essential oils being the main culprits in causing irritation to sensitive skin. Yet, I read the following on one internet beauty tip site recently:

"One good thing for sensitive skin is the skin care essential oils. Essential oils in most cases will not have a reaction to your skin, if it does then stop using the product right away. You can try essential oils such as Lavender, Rose, Sandalwood, Neroli, and Chamomile. So, if you have sensitive skin, than try out these essential oils to see if these will help your skin."

Ugh! It's no wonder people with sensitive skin end up not even trying to find anything which works for them if they've followed dangerous and stupid advice like this.

Anyway, what interested me about our email was the fact that I didn't know much about sodium metabisulphite - we don't use this ingredient - and so I thought I'd do a bit of research into it. And also, I was interested that this woman was sensitive to lanolin. Lanolin has long been accused of being a sensitive skin culprit and, while this woman clearly does have a problem with it, mostly it is an excellent ingredient with a very good track record. Like preservatives though, it is something that is seized upon by people as being a 'baddie'. We get lots of women calling in claiming they are sensitive to 'preservatives and lanolin'. Yet, when you ask if they have had patch tests, they say 'no' and further probing reveals they just think these are causing their problems because they've heard vague mention of them somewhere.

I have always liked the www.cosmeticscop.ca website which is run by a woman called Paula Begoun, an ex-make-up artist and now a writer and the owner of her own cosmetics line (and someone who seems eminently well informed and sensible), so I thought I'd see what her ingredients directory said about lanolin. It makes interesting reading:

Lanolin: Emollient, very thick substance derived from the sebaceous glands of sheep. Lanolin has long been burdened with a reputation for being an allergen or sensitizing agent, which has always been a disappointment to formulators because lanolin is such an effective moisturizing agent for skin. A study in the British Journal of Dermatology (July 2001, pages 28–31) may change all that. The study concluded “that lanolin sensitization has remained at a relatively low and constant rate even in a high-risk population (i.e., patients with recent or active eczema).” Based on a review of 24,449 patients who were tested with varying forms of lanolin, it turned out that “The mean annual rate of sensitivity to this allergen was 1.7%”—and it was lower than that for a 50% concentration of lanolin. It looks like it’s time to restore lanolin’s good reputation. That’s a very good thing for someone with dry skin, though it can be a problem for someone with oily skin, because lanolin closely resembles the oil from human oil glands (see here for more http://www.cosmeticscop.ca/dictionaryL).

As for sodium metabisulfite, this is something which is used in hair products.

Says Paula Begoun's ingredients dictionary: "Reducing agent that alters the structure of hair. It can also be used as a preservative in formulations, and can be a skin irritant. However, it can also be an antioxidant (Source: Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, September–October 1999, pages 252–259)."

I also found mention of its use in some skincare products, one of which is a range or brand called Obagi. At the end of some product information, this site says: "This product also contains sodium metabisulfite, a sulfite that may cause serious allergic type reactions (e.g., hives, itching, wheezing, anaphylaxis severe asthma attacks) in certain susceptible persons." Hmm.

I am pleased to say that, while we do use lanolin in a few products (excellent products too and used by clients with a wide range of sensitive skin conditions), we do have plenty of products which don't contain it so we can hopefully help the sender of our email. I'll keep you posted.

That's it for now.

Us at Queen

Technorati Tags: sodium metabisulfite,lanolin,allergy to lanolin,Paula Begoun,sensitive skin,Queen

Queen hand cream and Oldham Chronicle fame

Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream, THE most amazing hand cream (I think I have said this before!), is the order of the day. It is currently on special offer at just £6.00 which is ridiculously good value and which explains why our customers are snapping it up. Buy some now!

Queen Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream is great for all skin types but is particularly beneficial for sensitive skin or skin suffering from eczema or other dry-skin conditions. Even the hardest working hands are restored. We know this because the local farmers all come to our door to buy it. I have just seen one struggling across the field with a lamb under her arm (the lamb was struggling too, I am pleased to report, and was deposited in another field) and a couple of others are digging a ditch. You'd never know they'd been engaged in such hard labour by the look of their hands.

Other news is that Queen anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin, Sensiderma Renew & Refine, is launched. To take the shine off, we have had a few delays in despatch due to some label problems. These are now resolved and we are working hard to catch up on the orders.

So, what's so good about this product? Well, it adheres to our philosophy of keeping our products as simple as possible so that they can be used by sensitive skin. We have stuck as closely as possible to our existing formulations but have added some new ingredients, including a new peptide, BoNT-L, which builds on the success of other peptides in the market but has a superior lasting effect when applied to the skin. We hope that Sensiderma Renew & Refine will be a longstanding and popular addition to the Queen range.

Otherwise, it's been business as usual here at our rural HQ. Queen Soap has been particularly popular this week with one customer buying 25 in one go. Maybe they're for Christmas presents. We are getting very low on stocks of most products, in fact, so next week is going to be a big manufacturing drive to get the shelves re-stocked.

We've had some nice emails in, including one from a woman who had requested some samples of Light Night Cream and Sensiderma Day Cream:

"Thank you very much for sending the above samples.  At last, something I can use.  I found both products very soothing and moisturising without being too heavy."

Another called in to ask what was in our Eye Make-up Remover. "Oh, that sounds ok," she said. "I've been using Simple but it's recently started to make my eyes itchy and sore and I've been shocked to see how many ingredients there are in the products." Quite!

We've also had a name check in the Oldham Evening Chronicle this week. Oh yes! To read how Queen came to be connected with a famous golden nugget found in Australia in 1852, read the article here. The piece came about because one of the journalists at the paper requested some Queen samples. Our managing director, David, mentioned that his family came from Oldham and that a road was named after a golden nugget his great grandfather had found and, a couple of months later, an email appeared asking if they could do a story.  Fame at last!

Well, the week has flown by and there's still lots to do so better get on with it.

Have a good weekend.

The Team  at Queen

Technorati Tags: Queen Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream,Sensiderma Day Cream,Light Night Cream,Queen Eye Make-up Remover for sensitive eyes,itchy and sore eyes,Queen,Sensiderma Renew & Refine

A week of innovation: Anti-wrinkle cream and lipstick for sensitive skin

The airless pumps (bottles which are very practical and glamorous too) have arrived and we are set to begin filling Sensiderma Renew & Refine, our anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin, next week. Hooray!

I have long been rather scathing about anti-wrinkle creams, convinced that just using a really good moisturiser is enough. However, the last few years have seen a huge increase in enquiries from our existing customers and a survey of all visitors to our website (i.e. of new and existing customers) revealed 75% of them would use an anti-wrinkle cream if they could find one for their sensitive skin. The remaining 25% are in the 20-30 age category so I assume it's only a matter of time before they would want one too!

The thing is, it's taken us a few years to find an ingredient we are happy is hypo-allergenic and one which could be incorporated as far as possible into an existing formulation. Well, we've finally done it. Trials of this new peptide cream have proved extremely positive and we just hope our clients are going to love it too. I'm not saying too much more at this stage. Just watch this space...

Our attention has also turned this week to our lipsticks. These are extremely popular among our most longstanding clientele and have an excellent track record for being suitable for even the most sensitive skins and lips. The colours do, by our own admission, need updating though. They are bright (this is an understatement if I'm honest) which is fine if you have the complexion to carry them off. For pale skins, however, they are just too much.

We have been meaning to work on mixing some new colours for ages but, as a small company, it can be hard to find the time for normal daily operations as well as devoting time to new product development (which is why our organic range of skincare for sensitive skin is now unlikely to hit the shelves until early next year. It is in train but we have not had the time to focus on packaging, labels and literature as yet).

Anyway, an enquiry this week from a customer prompted us to roll up our sleeves and get mixing and the results look quite promising. Using a formulation similar to our Skin Cream, it has been possible to develop some more subtle-hued, lipgloss-type products. Not sure which one I like most, at the moment; a soft pinky-brown one or a light reddy-bronze (not sure I'm doing them much justice with these descriptions!). We are hoping to work on a range of five or six so do keep in touch if you are interested in lip colours.

They can also be used as rouge. Is that an old-fashioned word? We used to do rouges so not sure why we no longer do. Perhaps they were superseded by powder blushers. These days, cheek tints or cream blushers seem to be back in fashion because they offer a sheer, gentle glow so Queen rouge could be making a come back.

Otherwise, it's been business as usual here at Queen HQ. Queen Moisturiser, Medicated Cleansing Lotion and eye pencils seem to be the products of choice at the moment although there has also been unusually high demand for Queen Sensiderma Cold Cream. I'm always saying what a lovely product this is so I shouldn't be surprised its fame is spreading.

This is a short post this week as we have some trade orders to get out - Medicated Cleansing Lotion again - so it's all hands to the pump.

Hope you have a good weekend and come back soon!

The Team at Queen

Technorati Tags: Queen Cosmetics,anti-wrinkle cream for sensitive skin,organic products for sensitive skin,lipstick for sensitive skin,lipgloss for sensitive lips,Sensiderma Cold Cream,Medicated Cleansing Lotion,peptide cream,peptide cream for sensitive skin

Your cosmetics: free-from parabens etc... but do they actually work?

 

I was just perusing this month's issue of our industry magazine SPC (Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics should you be interested!), and was taken by editor Clare Henderson's editorial in which she makes the point that surely what is important is not what cosmetic products don't have in them but whether they work or not.

She asks "Are we a free-from culture?' and goes on to say that while 'free-from' used to be the preserve of products developed for sensitive skin, it's very much equated today with the naturals sector. She says that Mintel has been tracking fragrance-free and alcohol-free products for a number of years but recently began tracking paraben-free and found it is now way ahead of the other two.'

Says Henderson:'And now there's a whole slew of ingredients that are being given the free-from treatment.......In addition to parabens....sulfates, PEG products, mineral oil, petrolatum, silicones, DEA, TEA, glycols, phthalates, synthetic fragrance and synthetic colours are often on the free from list. It's not quite the same as a claim to efficacy."

She goes on: "Some products seem to be pretty much without everything which, as Mintel points out, begs the question: "What's left? What's in it?" In some cases the answer is that the product is basically made of essential oils."

Henderson concludes: "I suppose that's fine if that's what people want but, with all the advances in cosmetic science coupled with high consumer expectations I'm guessing that what most people want is products that are going to work, whatever they have or haven't got in them."

As Henderson says, free-from did use to be the preserve of sensitive skin products. The Queen range, for example, is free from perfume and other ingredients which are traditionally known to be irritants. In addition, we try to keep formulations as simple as possible while still producing products which do actually do what they say they do. We wouldn't still be going after more than 80 years if our creams and lotions didn't work.

Now that so many ingredients have been demonised (I won't bang on about this again - do read our previous post about parabens here) it is these that are associated with causing irritation to sensitive skin. I appreciate that all sensitive skin is different but our creams are no less suitable for sensitive skin now than they have been for the last eighty years i.e. for all the years before this nonsense about chemical ingredients and natural-being-better-for-you started.

If you do a search on Google or another search engine for a 'cream for sensitive skin', the sponsored links on the right-hand side are dominated by ranges which jump on the free-from/naturals bandwagon. 'Toxins in your skincare!' screams one, 'Natural Organic Skincare' clamours another. It's all a bit misleading for the consumer.

An email we've just received underlines this point:

'I wonder if you could send me some samples for my skin type,' writes a woman from Derbyshire. 'I have oily skin and have been diagnosed with acne rosacea. I have quite red skin and would like something that will not affect it, I have tried (she mentions here a whole host of brands) and most tea-tree products.'

The assumption she is making is that because tea tree is an essential oil and it has an antiseptic quality, it must be ok for her. As I am always saying, essential oils are some of the most irritant ingredients around.

I suppose I'm also a bit confused as to where this leaves Queen. If we say perfume-free or fragrance-free, we could be accused of jumping on the free-from bandwagon. And, given every other company is advertising that they are suitable for sensitive skin, we are not left with much else to differentiate ourselves. Apart from, of course, that our products do work and don't make ludicrous marketing claims! That's not very glamorous or compelling though as a marketing or advertising strap line. 'Buy Queen because our products work and  we don't make ridiculous claims' doesn't really work.

I think we are perhaps always destined to be understated and a bit of an 'undiscovered secret'.   This certainly seems to fit well with our existing clientele. A letter we received enclosed with an order today is typical of our customers:

"I would be most grateful if you could send me two more pots of your Queen Skin Cream as I have always found it most beneficial."

Most beneficial! How's that for a strapline? Queen - it's most beneficial. It says it all......no drama or free-from needed!

Have a good week.

Technorati Tags: Queen Cosmetics,www.queen-cosmetics.com,paraben-free,mintel report on cosmetics,tea-tree products,perfume-free cosmetics,perfume-free products,fragrance-free products,parabens

Pregnancy and sensitive skin - go back to basics

I wrote a while ago that we had had a number of emails about skin problems during and after pregnancy. Since then, we've had quite a few more.

Having had a baby fairly recently (well, two years ago but it seems like yesterday what with the ongoing and endless fatigue), I do remember that the skin changes do take you by surprise. I had thought everyone 'glowed' during pregnancy but my experience, and that of my friends, was that we actually found our skin was worse - spotty but very dry and ultra sensitive. As an aside, skin does glow - caused by an increased volume of blood to the cheeks, resulting in an attractive blush - but if you are suffering from acne at the same time, the visual effect isn't quite as pleasingly aesthetic!

That's quite apart from all the other afflictions that occur: a fine down on your cheeks and jawline that makes you feel like a small, furry creature (that does go thankfully) and brown spots and patches. And then there's stretch marks. I know it's hard to take on board but if you're going to get these - and not everyone does - no amount of slapping on moisturiser or body cream will help prevent them (they will, however, keep your skin moisturised) whatever all the advice or product marketing says to the contrary. Your best guide is to ask your mum what happened to her. If she didn't get them, there's a good chance you will avoid them too.

The brown patches, called chloasma and commonly called 'the mask of pregnancy', are areas of pigmentation which usually appear on the cheeks, forehead and neck. They are caused by the hormones oestrogen and progesterone stimulating the production of melanin. Annoyingly, they can't be prevented (not everyone gets them, I hasten to add) but can be minimised with the use of sunscreen and by staying out of the sun. They do fade but, in my experience, do not disappear completely.

Anyway, back to the spots, dryness and sensitivity....My experience seems to be shared by those who have emailed Queen.

"Now that I'm pregnant my skin is getting even worse with more red spots and dry spells. Do you have any advice on what sort of skin care I need that will actually improve my skin's condition," says one woman.

Another says: "My skin used to be oily, but during pregnancy and since having a baby it's been quite dry."

Someone else writes saying she has always had sensitive skin but that, during her current pregnancy, Nivea baby sun lotion has caused an outbreak of urticaria (an itchy rash caused by an allergic reaction to anything from food to sunlight to prescription drugs). She is now finding it impossible to use anything on her skin without further irritating it and is desperate to find some skincare and make-up products she can use before she goes to a number of weddings later in the year.

Hormonal changes do increase skin sensitivity during pregnancy and some women do find they become irritated by products - both cosmetics and household detergents - that they have previously used without problem. Spots and acne,  are caused by increased sebum production during pregnancy, another result of all those hormones surging around the body. 

These extremes should stop once your baby is born so our advice is not to stress about your skin. The best thing you can do is to support it during pregnancy by going back to basics and keeping things as simple as possible (the Queen philosophy for all skin!). Drastic changes and trying out numerous different products will only make things worse.

So, here's the Queen guide to looking after skin during pregnancy:

Cleanse, tone and moisturise twice a day, preferably using a cream cleanser rather than a wash-off cleanser;

Avoid perfumed products and products containing essential oils;

Avoid harsh acne creams. Your skin will clear up once you've had the baby;

Don't overstimulate your skin with scrubs, masks and other products.  If you do feel the need to use an exfoliant, use some oats moistened with a bit of water - messy but very gentle;

Fight the urge to attack spots or over-handle your skin as this can just make it worse:

Don't take long, hot baths as these will further dry your skin. Take short, just-warm showers and baths and moisturise well afterwards.

I must mention that the other great thing about Queen products is they can be used on your baby too. Our Medicated Cleansing Lotion is a fabulous alternative to wipes or as a supplement to wipes (you should never just use wipes on a baby's bottom but should always follow with lotion) and our Skin Cream is a great barrier cream. I've always used both of these, as have my friends, and our babies have NEVER suffered from nappy rash, not a claim many people can make, I think.

Right well, I am off to update our sensitive skin tips blog at http://skinsensitive.wordpress.com.

Have a good weekend.

The Queen Team

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Are you getting value from your cosmetics?

We have just had a call from a lady who had samples of Queen products a few weeks ago at John Bell & Croyden:

"I just love them and can't believe I'd never heard of them before. I wanted to tell you because I am so pleased with them."

She went on to tell me about how she had tried all sorts of ranges, including one which cost six times as much as Queen (that's about £160 for a moisturiser then!) and that ours were as good, if not better.

It's so true that you don't need to spend a fortune to get decent products. I know some might consider Queen products are expensive but at less than £15 for a Queen Moisturiser, I do disagree. Yes, you can buy a £3 moisturiser from big high-street chains but quite apart from it not being as good, it will have been mass produced, most likely made and packaged abroad and has quite probably been sitting around for a long, long time before it hits the shelves.

Queen products are not mass produced (they are handmade and hand-filled), they are made in tiny batches so are always fresh, they use only the highest quality ingredients and they are made in the UK. So many companies have farmed out their production to Eastern Europe or Asia, buy their jars and labels from Asia and their labels from Eastern Europe. We buy everything from UK-based companies. It costs more but it's supporting British Industry -  we know quality is good and a by-product is that surely it's better for the environment.

I am reminded as I write of a packaging company sales rep that came to see us last year. He looked stressed and angry as he'd just found out that a foreign supplier had let him down, thus putting him in a really difficult position with a client. He felt completely powerless as he was not able to see the supplier to talk to them face-to-face and he had been unable to physically check up on the manufacturing process (he'd been told weeks before that production had started but was then told it hadn't). Anyway, I am digressing. The point is we have control over our production and, if anything goes wrong, or a customer has a problem we can look into and solve it ourselves. Our customer service is fantastic.

In addition to the above, our products are tried and tested. There aren't many skincare ranges that have been around for 81 years and which have loyal and longstanding customers, some of whom are in their nineties! As for products that cost £160 a pop, do have a look on the back and see if the ingredients they use are any different from the mid-range products. You will probably be surprised to find they are not. The high prices are all a marketing ploy. If it's expensive, people assume it must be better.

So to my make-up lesson. I am quite excited by what I learnt even if I was told I have dark circles under my eyes (one thing I didn't think I suffered from). The therapist was lovely and it's not her fault that she has been misled to think/say that the products she use are entirely natural (it was a mineral make-up range). As it happens, the products were nice but I did feel really itchy and over made-up by the time I got home. In addition, I looked ridiculous because I had a day look on one side of my face and a night-time look on the other (even down to my lips).

I am sure most people would feel a lot of pressure to buy some of the products as the lesson (despite costing £40) was definitely geared towards demonstrating the benefits of this particular mineral range. I did try to make it clear from the beginning, however, that I was interested in general tips and tricks and that I did like my existing make-up mix (Queen with a few other brands thrown in!). I learnt how to shade my face, how and where to apply eyeshadow to minimise the black circles and to cover imperfections. I will be sharing these tips in my wordpress blog (http://skinsensitive.wordpress.com/)and on our site at www.queen-cosmetics.com in the coming weeks so stay in touch.

The other excitement down at Queen HQ this week is that The Tiny Box Company (I wrote about them in our 11 April blog), our neighbours down here at the farm, were on Dragon's Den on Monday night and secured £60,000 of investment from Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis in exchange for a 40% stake in the business! They hadn't said a word about it (although we did know they were going to be on TV in some form or another) as were under strict instruction not to. I am dying to find out what the next step is and whether Peter and Theo will be making a visit to East Grinstead. I am sure there will be a lot of rubber-neckers if so. We wish them all lots of luck.

Well, we are short-staffed here today due to various viruses striking down children and grand-children so I had better get stuck in with getting the orders out.

Have a good weekend.

x

 

Technorati Tags: Queen Cosmetics,www.queen-cosmetics.com,handmade,sensitive skin,Queen Moisturiser,Tiny Box Company,Dragon's Den,Peter Jones,Theo Paphitis,East Grinstead,mineral make-up

What's bismuth oxychloride then?

Back in the blogging saddle after a busy week last week which meant I didn't even find the time to get online and vent my spleen about various issues. I am sure we were missed......Anyway, it was probably a good thing as the blood does cool with time, albeit not much. We had a run on lovely Queen Soap again and John Bell & Croyden placed a large order (due, we like to think, to our promotional efforts at their Summer evening event the week before last!).

I was becoming increasingly irritated with all the emails requesting samples which clearly weren't genuine. One woman (or it could have been a man from the email address) asked for about four different skin-care samples (which we dutifully sent -more fool us). Two weeks later, another email came asking for samples of all of our make-up products. I kindly - and I wasn't feeling kind - replied to say that we were limited to only a few samples per person and that, anyway, we don't have samples of our make-up. He/she was welcome to buy some make-up, however, and would receive a full refund if unhappy with anything. Sure enough, an email appeared with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. Grrrrrr.

I really do not understand why people bother to request free samples of things they clearly have no real interest in. Is it just to have something for free or is it to get one over companies they see as faceless corporates trying to rip them off? Or are they just deeply sad? Anyone know the answer, I'd be pleased to hear it.

Anyway, this week I have conceded defeat and have now amended the Queen website to say that free samples are available but only by 'phone or by writing in. That should sort the wheat from the chaff.

The other thing bothering me last week was social/business networking sites. We have joined a few and have 'met' some really genuine (that word again) and helpful people but I am just astounded that there are so many loons out there. I keep receiving emails which make no sense at all. I would like to copy some examples here but that probably isn't the done thing. I feel that when the contact with and from lunatics begins to outweigh that from normal, sane individuals then that is the time to head for the hills. Perhaps you might say that no sane individual joins one of these networks in the first place but the founders do usually have integrity and a desire to help people make contacts and do business. Sadly, they can't screen for the bonkers contingent which means the site loses credibility.

Moving on, I have booked a make-up lesson at a local beauty salon. As you get older, it's good to update your look and highlight the good parts while hiding the not-so-good ones! I was given the lesson as a gift, I hasten to add. It's not something I would have initiated myself but I thought it would make good market research. I was told on the 'phone that a certain brand of 'very natural' mineral make-up was used and that 'i may like to buy some' to take home with me. While I am looking forward to it, I am concerned that the whole thing is going to be a promotional exercise for the products they use which is not what I want at all. I use a variety of different brands, including Queen of course (in particular our eye-liners, blushers and Tinted Foundation Cream) and don't want to change. And if I wanted a 'promotional' make-over, I would go to one of the large department stores where you get that part for free and just pay for the products. I will update you on what happened next week.

Anyway, the word 'natural'  was like a red rag to a bull so I did a little research into the ingredients contained in the brand which will be used on me. There is lots of praise for mineral make-up and I am not getting into discussing its efficacy and I am certainly not looking to criticise it. I was just interested if the 'natural' claim held up and I discovered that the brand to be used on me (not ALL brands use this ingredient) contains something called bismuth oxychloride which doesn't sound very natural and which, I found, is used to impart the pearlescent effect the make-up has. A quick Google search revealed it is a by product of lead and copper ore processing. In as much as lead and copper are natural, it has natural origins but that's about it. It goes through a lengthy chemical processing and refinement to make the product which actually goes in the make-up.

My research revealed lots of scare stories written about bismuth oxychloride too but, like the rubbish written about parabens etc, these seem to be perpetuated by the companies which are not using it, enabling them to therefore claim that their products are better/safer/more trustworthy than those that do. I am not an expert on this ingredient so cannot comment but it just underlines that even in the world of mineral make-up, there is hypocrisy and one-upmanship! Some companies are claiming to be natural when they're not and others are claiming ingredients used by their competitors are dangerous when they are not (if they were, they wouldn't be allowed to be used).

I will be interested to hear if i get a long marketing spiel at my make-up lesson. I may have to casually ask if they use bismuth oxychloride and see if a) they actually know and b) what they say if I say it's not natural. I will report back next week.

I do seem to have got carried away with my 'issues' this week, so much so that I haven't told you that Queen Sensiderma Refine & Renew (I think this is the name of our new anti-wrinkle cream) will be on sale in October. We can't wait!

Have a good weekend.

x

Technorati Tags: bismuth oxychloride,mineral make-up,Sensiderma anti-wrinkle cream,Queen,www.queen-cosmetics.com,cosmetic ingredients,Queen Soap,Queen eyeliner,Queen Tinted Foundation Cream,Queen blusher,social networking sites,freebie sites

It takes all sorts

I have to admit we are taking it a bit easy here today after a busy afternoon and evening at our stockist John Bell & Croyden in London's Wigmore Street promoting our skincare and make-up for sensitive skin.

The store was open until 9pm yesterday as part of a special Summer promotional evening and everything was discounted by 20% between 4pm-9pm. As John Bell sells everything from surgical instruments to gadgets for every kind of back, foot etc problem and from vitamins to cosmetics for every skin type, this was a fabulous shopping opportunity and, as you can imagine, people surged into the store to take advantage. I swear many shoppers were there for two hours, baskets bulging, although they were no doubt encouraged and fuelled by the free Pimm's and canapes and sandwiches on offer. I actually saw a woman with two children loading up a napkin with food and then giving them a sort of picnic tea in a corner. Feed your kids for free, what a bonus.

We had put together some nice goodie bags containing a rather too generous (in my opinion) sample of our Medicated Cleanser, Non-Alcoholic Toner, Moisturiser, Light Night Cream and Eye Make-up Remover. There was lots of interest and we sold a good few items as well as giving out the freebies. We have realised, however, that what really draws the crowds is doing mini-facials so, next year, or at the annual Christmas version of this event that John Bell holds, we are going to ask one of the many beauty therapists who use Queen to come and give practical demonstrations of the products and show how to best look after sensitive skin.

The event did attract the customary freeloaders and loons who lurked around the store for hours, buying nothing but enjoying the free food and booze. One rather assertive sales assistant told me that the previous Christmas event had brought in a load of teenagers demanding free samples of cosmetic products. She ended up calling security to eject them as they got more and more unruly. Thankfully, no rowdy teenagers pitched up last night.

John Bell always attracts lots of Arab ladies who are accompanied by burly minders. I have no idea how the latter manage to stay awake as their charges spend hours poring over products and trying out make-up but they do. They are also employed to ferry overflowing shopping baskets to the check-out. "They spend thousands of pounds and sometimes pay in cash," whispered a sales assistant to me, her eyes wide with awe.

We also had the (thankfully very few) women who refuse samples as though you are trying to indoctrinate them into some obscure cult. One woman, who looked absolutely ghastly with too much make-up and a dry, wrinkled complexion, looked up at me smugly when I asked her if she minded telling me what cosmetic brand she used and said: "Creme de la Mer" with a sort of half smirk. I wanted to implore her to look in the mirror. She certainly wasn't a good advert for that brand. And, I can only imagine the amount of money she's wasting (although I suppose these things are relative - without the cream, she could look ten times worse).

Legs-aching, we headed for the tube at the end of the evening, only to find the Victoria Line was closed for maintenance. Then ensued a frantic dash across London via the Central, Jubilee and Circle lines to get the train back to Sussex. Much as I love London, it's always a pleasure to leave.

Otherwise, it's been an uneventful week at Queen. The stream of freebie-hunting emails has finally become a trickle and it's quite easy now to distinguish the genuine from the freeloading (at least I think I can tell them).

We are very close to starting full-scale production of our anti-wrinkle cream so we are focused on finalising labels and some literature to accompany the product. We have had a lot of interest from our existing customers so are hoping this does actually translate into sales.

Well, we are going to despatch the orders and head home. It's quite a nice balmy afternoon here now although clouds are gathering in the distance.

Have a good weekend.

Technorati Tags: medicated cleansing lotion,non-alcoholic toning lotion,eye make-up remover,moisturier,light night cream,john Bell & Croyden,sensitive skin,skincare for sensitive skin

Queen bored of parabens nonsense

Another week, another 'attack' on parabens, the preservatives used in cosmetic (and many other) products.

I write attack in inverted commas because it's not really an attack when someone proves themselves unable to articulate a case against whatever it is they are supposed to be shooting down. The case is even less convincing when the person is promoting a book and, guess what, their own cosmetics' range.

I am referring to Kate Lock's book 'Confessions of an Eco-Shopper' which I do think sounds a great, and worthwhile, premise for a book and for life. It details her 'one-woman's mission to go green'. However, and this may not be her fault (but probably is given she wants to publicise her range of cosmetic products - can't wait to find what they're preserved with), the press have focused in on the old 'your cosmetics are toxic' rubbish rather than any of the rest of the book which presumably looks at every other aspect of our daily lives too.

This week, I read an extract from the book in the Daily Mail (the same Daily Mail which writes week-in week-out about miracle anti-ageing, anti-cellulite and anti-everything else creams which all contain parabens - but of course that can be overlooked if they really do work miracles) and then heard Kate Lock on LBC. Both times, the focus was cosmetics and parabens in particular. When asked what the problem with parabens was, she haltingly trotted out the discredited research that parabens were found in cancerous breast tissue.

This much-quoted research was carried out by Dr Philippa Darbre at Reading University in 2004. It found parabens in samples of cancerous breast tissue. The suggestion was that parabens could mimic the female hormone oestrogen which can drive the growth of tumours in human breast tissue. Darbre called for a review of the use of parabens in 'cosmetics applied to the breast area including deodorants'.

Quite apart from the fact that parabens have never been used in the majority of under-arm deodorants, the research was shown to be flawed because the researchers chose to ignore that they also found parabens in non-cancerous i.e. healthy 'control' samples of breast tissue.

I could bang on all day about this but may be accused of having a vested interest. So, why not read this,  a good, neutral, scientific article:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/01/it_is_one_of_the.html.

In it the journalist, James Randerson, quotes Dr Darbre as saying:

"Just because they (parabens) get into the body doesn't say they are going to cause breast cancer," added Darbre. Making the breast cancer link from these experiments was "scientifically inappropriate", she said.

He goes on to say that Darbre refuses to use or endorse products containing so-called 'natural' alternatives because scientists know little about the effects of these on the body either. "It might be a case of out of the frying pan into the fire," she said.

To be honest, I am not particularly interested in standing up for parabens today. The cosmetics' industry knows they are the safest, most effective preservatives around and, until something else is found which  betters them, they will continue to be used.

What irritates me is newpapers' laziness in trotting out this stuff week after week and the fact that every Tom, Dick and Harry thinks they can launch a 'green' or 'organic' range of cosmetics these days based upon nothing but their sanctimonious avoidance of parabens (oh, and other ingredients they've demonised). Now that it is more widely known that the breast cancer research is flawed, they use other arguments, including that parabens are a major allergen for sensitive skin. Nonsense.  Perfume, essential oils and masking fragrances are the major culprits yet these abound in so-called natural cosmetics.

Most of the people making these new marvellous ranges have no experience (they are usually ex-beauty writers, aromatherapists or just mad hippies). They are using unproven preservative systems and are promoting other ingredients about which little is known. Our products have been around for 80 years and have been using parabens for at least 30 years. We constantly monitor what ingredients' suppliers have to offer and will only use those which are proven and have a track record. An unpreserved or inadequately-preserved product is far more dangerous than a preserved product. Bacteria from fingers, the air etc and transferred into eyes or broken skin can have horrid repercussions.

And it's not just me supporting parabens. Read Liz Earle's blog and FAQs. She is a well-respected beauty expert and owner of an extremely successful cosmetics' company. She has built her reputation not on scaring people into buying her products but on giving them good, effective products. She's not a multinational and she cares about her customers. This extends to wanting them to be able to make informed choices, not ones based on hysteria and fear.

Oh dear, this has turned into a rant. The fact is that this debate can only be good for the cosmetics' industry. Even though parabens are perfectly safe, it does prompt scientists and chemists to continue to test and trial other ingredients that might, one day, be proven to be even better. We are open to that possibility but we are not interested in all this hysteria.

So, what else is happening down here at Queen HQ? It's wet and windy and wood pigeons are gorging themselves on elderberries. Seaside Cream and Shampoo are the order of the day and we have run out of the latter so the stirrers are whirring into action. Time to get the orders out.

Have a good weekend!

The Queen Team

On our soap box

There's been a run on soap here this week at Queen. John Bell & Croyden, our main London stockist, ordered a whole load followed by a pharmacy in Kensington. Why the sudden interest in soap, we wonder, not that there shouldn't be as it is very nice - unperfumed of course and very creamy. Still, it did cause us to suddenly worry about our stocks and we are busy counting how many bars we have left. I often snaffle them for myself and for use on my toddler as they are perfect for baby skin but if supplies are low, I may have to go short.

And, when I walked in this morning, what were the mail order customers buying but soap? It is very strange the way things go in waves. You may not sell much of a particular item for weeks when suddenly everyone wants them. The week before last it was green eye-pencils.

I have been asking ecademy (the online business networking site) members for advice on how best to deal with our freebie hunter issue. 'An occupational hazard for small and medium sized businesses', says one member. He's not kidding. Today, all the enquiries were coming from Ireland. A quick check of Google Analytics revealed that, yes, we were being listed by an Irish site called couponmaster.ie. The thing is that the enquiries all sound very genuine and people have taken the time to explain their sensitive skin issue:

"My skin is very dry, but very sensitive also. After showering, my skin is tight and sore, and stings when I use moisturiser. I was hoping you could recommend one of your products for my skin, and was also hoping you could send me a sample before I buy?"

Says another:

"My skin used to be oily, but since having a baby it's been quite dry. I use Tisserand foam cleanser and Sante day and night creams, but they still contain perfume (although I think it's essential oils) and I really find it difficult to find a correct cream."

This last message reminds me that we have had quite a few enquiries of late from women who are experiencing problems with their skin during and after pregnancy. Another woman writes saying she has always had sensitive skin but that, during her current pregnancy, Nivea baby sun lotion has caused an outbreak of urticaria (an itchy rash caused by an allergic reaction to anything from food to sunlight to prescription drugs). She is now finding it impossible to use anything on her skin without further irritating it and is desperate to find some skincare and make-up products she can use before she goes to a number of weddings later in the year.

Having had a baby myself a couple of years ago, I can only say that Queen products are fabulous for both mother and baby. My lips were so dry during pregnancy and, even now, I can't go to sleep without slathering on Skin Cream (I have to have a pot by the bed and now always carry one around with me lest I forget to pack one when I go away for the night or on holiday. I can't stand waking in the night with dry lips which it is impossible not to lick thus making them even more dry). Enriched Moisturising Lotion was, and remains, a godsend for dry skin and to prevent or minimise stretch marks.

It was actually a client of ours that alerted me to the fact that our Medicated Cleansing Lotion makes an excellent baby lotion. Once we started using that instead of wipes or perfumed lotion, we had no more nappy rash and it's great, and so much more gentle, for cleaning a mucky face with than harsh, drying wipes.

Anyway, I do think that Queen for pregnant mums is definitely an angle we should pursue. There is clearly a need out there.

John Bell & Croyden was relatively busy this week when we went up to do our weekly promotion. Famous faces I didn't see (due to having gone to the toilet or nipped out for a sandwich) included Johnny Vaughn who was very chipper according to the staff. I did see Michael Portillo walking past the store wearing an extraordinary (and very scruffy) ensemble but that was about it.

A couple of women wafted past, saying 'Ah yes, Queen, I know it well. Lovely products, very good reputation.' We were unable to ascertain whether this meant they were Queen users or not. I like to think so.

Well, time is running out and there's things to do, like catch the last post.

Have a good weekend.

Genuinely sensitive skin? Do write in!

As the temperature rises, we are still wading our way through the massive influx of emails which resulted from Queen being mentioned by a host of sites which list companies which offer free samples.

Having found ourselves unable to meet the demand and doubtful of the genuine nature of most of the requests, we have emailed as many people as we can asking them to give us more details about their skin so we can ensure they get the right samples.

As well as not wanting to ignore all the emails we received (whether or not they are freebie hunters, we also feel we should let people know what's going on and we do believe we generally have exceptional customer service!), this seemed a good way of identifying the truly genuine enquiries. It's good to know that there are some out there.

Writes one lady:

'Hi, I am still interested in your products and would love the chance to sample them to see if they would be ok with my skin.

'I suffer from seborrheic dermatitis that affects my face, around my ears and my scalp. I would be most grateful for any help you could offer.'

Another says:

'Dear Customer Service, I have sensitive skin which is combination in nature ( an oily T zone and dry everywhere else). I am allergic to AHA and all other related components but am fine with everything else as far as I know.'

and quite a few men have got back to us. Says one:

'Well I would say my skin is both oily and sensitive. I have found it hard to get something that's right for me as the wrong products do cause me to get spots or make me dry in certain areas.'

The skin conditions or issues mentioned in these three emails are fairly representative of the sorts of skin conditions Queen specialises in helping. Unfortunately, our profile is still so low that people are spending a lot of time and money buying products that don't work when Queen could have helped them all along! Hopefully, all that will change when we get a public relations programme up and running later this year.

We've just managed to get the late Friday orders packaged up. Every week, we get to 4pm and think we are in control. The post is all ready to go out, the pumps have been cleaned down and the stirrers turned off when a flurry of orders comes through. Fortunately, today's were mostly straightforward - our bestsellers such as Medicated Cleansing Lotion, Moisturiser, Sensiderma Day Cream and Enriched Moisturising Lotion. It's now 4.30pm so I am hoping that if we get any more orders they won't be needed before Tuesday.

I have to say that I am loving our new organic moisturiser. It's only at the trial stage but it really is amazing and I do have high hopes for it. It uses a combination of certified organic ingredients and ingredients which are approved for use by the Soil Association and Ecocert. We are working on an organic cleanser and a body lotion so that we will have a small, but perfectly-formed range. We would like to move towards a Soil Association accreditation for these products once we have finalised their formulations. There are not many ranges out there which offer organic products for sensitive skin. Most rely on essential oils and extracts making them far too highly perfumed for truly sensitive skin.

Not much else to report here really. A swarm of bees which appeared like a small, black cloud at the beginning of the week has finally gone. There are still a few bemused creatures flying around wondering where the rest have gone. Otherwise, the farm is looking beautiful - hanging baskets in full bloom, sheep, donkeys and horse grazing peacefully, a gently breeze rustling through the elderflower bushes. It's a shame that it's about 500 degrees up here in the office!

Oh, we've just put the Free Sample 'offer' back on the website so genuine enquiries please do apply.

Have a good weekend.

The Queen Team

Technorati Tags: Queen,organic products for sensitive skin,Sensiderma Day Cream,Enriched Moisturising Lotion,Medicated Cleansing Lotion,Moisturiser

Freebie freefall

What a week. You may have noticed we hadn't posted last week. This was due to a complete collapse of our email system (and our nervous systems) as we were flooded with emails requesting free samples. Only used to a handful of these a day, the appearance in our inbox of hundreds and hundreds at a time was a huge shock. We were already having problems with our broadband service so normal business was proving difficult as it was.

I can't believe that the week before last I was bemoaning the fact that we get a small number of spurious-looking requests for free samples via the post. That was nothing compared to this onslaught. At first we were elated - something was driving all this marvellous traffic albeit not advertising or PR or any other marketing as we're not doing anything at the moment. The emails didn't look spurious, we mused. We were offering free samples via our website and have done so since the site was launched at the beginning of the year and these people had all clearly been to the site and followed the instructions as to how to get hold of a free sample of Light Night Cream or Sensiderma Day Cream.

We were scratching our heads about was how they had found us, nestling sleepily in the world wide web backwaters as we do. Thank goodness for good old Google Analytics. Once normal internet service had been restored, I immediately went to the referring site section and discovered to my horror that we'd been listed on a whole host of sites advertising companies which give away freebies. The main one was called magicfreebiesuk.co.uk. I have no idea how they came upon us. To their credit, they did say that genuine enquirors only should apply.

The thing is how do we tell which are genuine, by which I mean have sensitive skin. We literally cannot cope with this volume of demand. As a tiny three-man (well, one man, two women) band, we are barely able to keep up with normal demand. We don't hold lots of stock - we make all the products regularly and in small batches - and we don't hold lots of packaging (the mini jars we need, jiffy bags, foam wrap etc etc) as we don't have the space. In addition, the postal costs would bankrupt us. Yet, we do want to reach genuine customers.

Our current gameplan - such that it is - is to keep plodding through the requests and send out as many as we can without normal business grinding to a halt. I have, however, had to email many people saying we just can't send out samples at the moment. As a gesture of goodwill, we have offered a discount on any orders and we are happy to supply alternative products if someone can email us back with a little bit more information about their skin.

In the meantime, I have had to take down the free sample offers from the website until we can get things under control. It's a real shame as this has been a regular source of bona fide customers for us. If anyone has any ideas as to how we can resume this service without falling prey to freebie hunters, I would be grateful to hear them.

This aside, it's been a good couple of weeks. Sales at John Bell & Croyden have been great and we have had lots of new customers via our online store www.queen-cosmetics.com.

Oh, just had to take a break to answer a call from a chap who has a client who wants to buy the domain names www.queen-cosmetics.co.uk and www.queen-cosmetics.net and would we object. Well, we realise we can't stop someone buying up domain names but why would they want them, especially when we hold the trade marks for Queen and Queen Cosmetics? All very odd. He wouldn't reveal who she was and what her business was so it is all rather bemusing.

Are dark forces at work, we are beginning to wonder or are we just being paranoid?! I hate to think what it must be like if you're running a multi-national. It's hard enough keeping a small, family-run business free from attack!

I am off to lie down with a cold flannel over my head.

Have a good weekend.

Technorati Tags: www.queen-cosmetics.com,www.queen-cosmetics.co.uk,Sensiderma Day Cream,Light Night Cream,sensitive skin

Organic products for sensitive skin coming soon

Great drama here at our bucolic HQ this week. I arrived on Monday to find a fire engine, firemen and various employees of the businesses based here turfing cardboard boxes into the courtyard while smoke poured out of the roof of one of the units.

The farm owners were looking on with ashen (no pun intended) faces, clearly concerned that not only was one unit going to go up in flames but that the rest would follow.

Not wishing to get in the way but desperate to know what was happening (and to ascertain whether Queen was in any danger and I whether I should therefore stop gawping and start heading across the fields with vats of lipstick, moisturisers and cleansers), I asked as casually at possible what had happened.

"Boxes piled too high and caught fire from a light bulb," was the reply from the owner's son as he dashed past with a fire extinguisher.

Once the 'blaze' was under control and people started to gossip, we found out that it was The Tiny Box Company whose boxes (of boxes - are you with me?) had been set alight, packed as they were up to the ceiling in a far too tiny space. Fortunately, they didn't lose too much stock but the farm is now dotted with piles of boxes airing in the sunshine.

The rest of the week has been rather less dramatic. We have been busy perfecting formulations of our new organic range which we hope to launch in a few months. It's been quite difficult to make the products without relying on the essential oils, essences and perfumes that most ranges use. We want to stick to our philosophy of using as few ingredients as possible and for making the products perfume and fragrance free. We think we now have a really lovely product and hope that it will be the answer for sensitive skins who prefer to use natural ingredients. I want to call it OrganiQ with a little crown over the Q like our main Queen logo but I need to do some research as the name is bound to be taken.

Elsewhere, compliments on Queen products continue to come in as our reputation spreads (I want to say 'like wildfire' but that seems a bit tactless). Says one lady:

"For some years a small patch of skin on my face near the hairline has been flaky and very rough, but with using your day cream Moisturiser, it has now healed and I have great hopes it will not return."

She ends: "Long may Queen exist!" A sentiment echoed by all of us here!

A lovely woman who bought some samples a few weeks ago came in to buy full sizes of Moisturiser, Light Night Cream, Medicated Cleansing Lotion and Non-Alcoholic Toning Lotion. She was full of praise: "I just love the products and can't believe how good my skin feels."

She was holding a lovely red handbag which I admired and which she said was from a new shop opened locally by a friend of hers. Of course, I thrust some brochures in her hand exhorting her to tell her friend how marvellous Queen products were and that she should stock them in her shop. Well, in these difficult economic times, one must take every opportunity to spread the word...

At the other end of the spectrum are people who keep writing to us requesting samples with no intention of buying or just sending us mad, rambling letters. We are happy to send free samples. We make this clear on our website - current free samples for your information are: Sensiderma Day Moisturiser and Light Night Cream and, if people telephone us, we are always pleased to discuss what products might be right for them and to send them samples free of charge. A letter scribbled on half of an old envelope arrived today in a familiar hand:

"I would like to try again free samples of Queen anti-wrinkle cream, Non Alcholic-Toning Lotion, Sensiderma Rich Hand Cream, Sensiderma Cold Cream and Eyelash Cream. I would like to try it. Please, please send send it to me please!"

I suppose at least this person is honest and says 'try again' and maybe she thinks we will be flattered by her interest. Sadly, we can't afford to send out what would amount to more than £10 worth of samples on a regular basis!

Well, we have to get the orders up to the post office so had better get on. No time to tell you about this week's John Bell & Croyden visit. There were no celebrities yet again so you're not missing too much.

Come back soon.

Technorati Tags: Queen Cosmetics,sensitive skin,sensiderma,light night cream,non-alcoholic toning lotion,free samples

Soothe chicken pox with Queen Skin Cream!

I am just mopping the sweat from my brow following the resolution of this Friday's drama. Mid-morning I found I was unable to access the website of the company which hosts Queen's online store and which provides the shopping cart system. This meant I couldn't update the site, process any online orders and, I subsequently discovered after a couple of irate emails, it also meant no-one else was able to access the site.

After  a few moments of picturing the worst - the company (well-respected and with a fabulous service 99.9% of the time) had gone under, taking www.queen-cosmetics.com with it being one of my wilder imaginings - I managed to get my hyperventilation under control and phone them to discover it was a 'technical difficulty and engineers were working on it'. Fortunately, everything has just come back online so I am having a restorative cup of tea and writing this.

This aside, it has been a relatively quiet week which has not been unwelcome given I've just got back from a week's holiday which always disorientates me for a bit. I never knew you got mosquitos in Italy so we were all completely unprepared. I don't seem to be of interest to your average mosquito but everyone else was mauled, including or at least we thought, my two-year old son. Thinking he had been bitten, we were slathering him in citronella and spraying his room with foul-smelling insect repellent only to discover on our return that he's actually got chicken pox.

Fortunately, he doesn't seem to have been bothered by them at all and frequent applications of Queen Skin Cream have prevented or soothed itchiness which means he hopefully won't have any long-term scarring. We did feel a bit silly having assured everyone in the check-in queue that 'oh no, it's nothing nasty, just a few bites' when clearly they all knew it was a rampant case of the pox!

I have spent a bit of time this week perusing the results to date of our online sensitive skin survey, the aim of which is to tell us a bit more about who is visiting our site and what exactly they are looking for. The findings are not particularly radical, rather they confirm what we believe to be the characteristics of our customer base and what we know about our mail-order customers. 

Some 61% of those who've taken the survey say they suffer from sensitivity to perfume or other common cosmetic ingredients while 17% have rosacea and 17% very dry skin. In terms of age, 60% are between 45-65, 24% between 30-45 and 16% between 20-30. As for which factors make them choose one brand over another, 76% say the products must be perfume-free or specifically for sensitive skin. Price is also important (48% ticked this box) as is the endorsement of friends and family (28%). Despite the millions that are spent by cosmetics companies on packaging, only 4% claimed this was important to them. That's a relief! Not that Queen doesn't care about packaging but we don't think it's right that a huge percentage of the retail price is due to unnecessarily fancy jars or bottles.

If you have 60 seconds (that's all it takes, I promise) to fill in our survey, please click here.

We haven't been up to John Bell & Croyden, Queen's main London stockist, for a week or so so I am unable to report on whether the great and good have been out shopping in the West End or whether stocks of Queen Theatrical Cleansing Cream, Medicated Cleansing Lotion and Moisturiser have continued to be snapped up. I do hope so!

I reported the week before last that Light Night Cream was becoming increasingly popular and this has continued. It is my favourite (along with Enriched Moisturising Lotion) and I slap it on day and night. My skin can be very dry and tight when I wake up but gets gradually greasier throughout the day. Before using Queen, I used to smother my face in a thick cream first thing in the morning in order to get some relief from the dry tight feeling. This would mean my skin was horribly shiny and my make-up had mostly disappeared by lunchtime. Light Night Cream is amazing - it is light, as the name suggests, and isn't at all greasy. Yet, somehow it manages to leave my skin feeling moisturised while regulating the oiliness. As a customer whose husband has just started using the cream said: 'It's the first time in 20 years that he hasn't left his face on the pillow when he's woken up!' Not the most attractive image, I appreciate, but I think it says it all.

Another convert has just emailed having used up her sample of Light Night Cream, saying: 'Please can I order some Light Night Cream. I just love it.' Actually, this has prompted me to make it our free sample 'Product of the Month'. I am going to do it NOW so get emailing and your free sample night cream will wing its way to you in no time.

Have a good weekend and keep away from spotty children at airline check-ins!

 

Technorati Tags: Skin Cream,Queen Cosmetics,Medicated Cleansing Lotion,Theatrical Cleansing Cream,www.queen-cosmetics.com,Sensitive skin survey,free sample night cream,Light Night Cream,perfume-free