The Elegance of Eleanor

When you think of the term "natural beauty", it's easy to think of products. Tubes, sprays & jars sitting on shelves in beautiful looking stores. When I think of the term, "natural beauty," yes I think of products, however firstly I think of people. The natural, holistic & generous beauties working within the industry & living in our wider communities. Those you truly work to bring the people around them joy, comfort & a way of feeling more content and safe in our own skin.

Eleanor Pendleton (@eleanorpendleton), editor of the innovative Gritty Pretty magazine, is among the "natural beauties" who pop into my mind when I hear someone whisper natural beauty. Having worked with Eleanor firsthand when I shot the December 2019 Gritty Pretty cover in Byron last year, I can assure you all that this editor is as gracious, generous, creative & as involved as they come. So poised, so inspired, so knowledgeable!

Eleanor's acquired knowledge of the beauty world is extensive. And it's exactly why I was so eager & excited to chat with her about her thoughts on what it means to be "natural" in the beauty space, and of course the big one ... what it means to be sustainable ... or at least move towards a more sustainable existence in regards to growing a brand or business.

As our skin is the bodies largest organ, we all need to be constantly aware & thoughtful when it comes to what we apply & ingest on a daily basis. Like Eleanor points out below, "a product might contain 1% of an organic ingredient and that’s enough for them to be able to market their brand as being natural and organic." ... it's a scary world out there with a lot of unknown factors! The BEST way to ensure your health and wellness is kept in tip top shape - strengthen your knowledge by doing your research. As I always say, knowledge is power. 

Thank you so much for your time Eleanor! You're a new mumma, a working woman & an advocate for so many current & critical issues right now, so it means a lot to me that you took the time to share this conversation with me.

To the readers ... enjoy and take note!! 

Wishing everyone so much love & safety during the continuation of COVID. Please remember to stick by the rules that apply to your state/area. If we all do the right thing & look after one another (especially those who are exceptionally vulnerable), the light at the end of the tunnel may appear sooner than we hope.  

Elyse x

1. When it comes to the beauty industry, in your professional view, how would you best define "natural beauty"? 

From a category perspective, natural beauty products need to encompass a formula that has a majority make-up of naturally sourced or plant-based ingredients. For me, what makes a natural product stand apart is its ability to be both efficacious and also holistic and it has to have a sensorial element as well as delivering the results that the product claims.

2. In both fashion & beauty, greenwashinghas becoming an alarmingly common practice. How does the Gritty Prettymonitor the credibility of brands & products who claim to use ingredients that are "natural", "organic", "botanical" etc. Has this issue become more & more complex over the recent few years? 

It’s definitely a confusing market. Greenwashing, also called the Green Sheen, is basically a form of marketing spin that some brands use to market or depict their product as being “natural” or “organic”. Unfortunately, in Australia, there isn’t a huge amount of regulation by the Therapeutic Goods Association, that sets in place certain rules that can prevent a brand from claiming that they’re natural or organic. A product might contain 1% of an organic ingredient and that’s enough for them to be able to market their brand as being natural and organic. It’s really contentious issue and it makes it very confusing for the consumer to know that what they’re buying is truly a natural product if that’s something that they want. How we best approach it, from Gritty Pretty’s perspective is we obviously have a team of amazing, trained beauty journalists who are well-versed when it comes to deciphering what is marketing spin from actual credible claims. And it’s really our responsibility as beauty editor’s to be able to do exactly that: edit the market down. To remove the confusion, remove those complexities from brands that they may put forward and really simplify things for our audience. We want to make sure that with everything we publish on Gritty Pretty, our audience can trust that recommendation if it is, say for example, a natural product but is marketed as being organic. We are quick to clarify that it is not a wholly organic product and it’s also not certified organic. I think from an education standpoint, what we do best is help educate our audience. And one thing that consumers can do is make sure that if they want to purchase an organic product, for example, look for an Ecocert stamp on the packaging and you will know then that that product has gone through a very rigorous testing process and it’s been made credible by an independent body. So, for us, it’s really about giving women that education to make informed decisions. 

3. I am all for finding sustainable alternatives & solutions to as many parts of our daily routines as possible. In terms of sustainability in beauty - what changes can we make to be smarter/greener consumers?

I think we are, as a society, becoming more self-aware. We’re more aware that the small changes we can make in our day-to-day, they do have an impact. I think it’s unreasonable to assume that we can completely change our lives to live off the grid and live off the land but we can make small changes and they do have an impact. Some of those can be opting for packaging that is made from recycled materials. If you’re buying a beauty product, say it’s makeup, opt for a product that comes in a refillable form so you don’t have to buy that package all over again and you can just buy the insert. There’s a lot of incredible brands that are doing a lot in the world of ocean recycled plastics, so if you are going to buy a product that is made up of plastic, spend a little bit of time doing some research. There are some incredible brands doing a lot in that space. Kevin Murphy is one of them. They’ve pledged to move their entire brand and all of their packaging over to ocean recycled plastics. There’s some incredible brands like Ren, La Mer and Aveda, they help support a lot of environmental and sustainable foundations and charities. So, there’s a lot you can do as a consumer, it’s just about making a conscious decision when you’re purchasing.

4. Packaging is something that really gets me fired up as there is so much unnecessary packaging in the world, contributing to ocean waste & landfill. Are you noticing any shifts or trends within the beauty space in terms of making changes for the better? Any innovative ideas that you've come across lately? 

Definitely. Like I mentioned, we’re seeing brands like Kevin Murphy making that pledge to change every single one of their haircare SKUs over to ocean recycled plastics. We also see brands that go through the process of being b-certified. So, brands like Bear Journal, they do a beautiful range of beauty supplements and a small range of skincare. We’re also seeing a lot in the way of brands supporting initiatives like World Oceans Day. For example, each year La Mer runs a limited edition Creme de la Mer pot and the proceeds from that purchase of the cream go towards the Blue Heart Fund and that helps fund a whole host of different initiatives to do with our world’s oceans. The reason why they support the ocean in particular and want to create awareness for that is because twice a year, the brand hand-harvests sustainably grown Sea Kelp, off the coast of Vancouver, and that is what is La Mer’s hero ingredient or what is known as the Miracle Broth. So, that’s an amazing initiative that we see from brands. There’s other brands like Aveda and they’re really conscious about using recycled papers for their packaging and plastics made up of recycled materials. We’re seeing a lot done in that space. I think, as well, when consumers are asking for products that are made up of recyclable packaging, it creates this demand and then the brands get to respond to it. So, whilst not every brand on the market can offer those recycled materials right now. Often it’s because it’s incredibly expensive to source and produce - if there is enough demand it can help lower those costs. So, we should start to see more beauty brands take that more sustainable approach, which is really exciting.

5.  Which are your favourite natural beauty products! Can you share with us a few of your top picks, or what ingredients do you swear by? 

I think I’m always first to preface that I definitely am a fan of some natural ingredients, I don’t follow a 100 per cent natural approach when it comes to my skincare or cosmetics. I do believe there are some amazing actives and chemicals that can be really good for the skin. So, for me it’s about finding that really nice balance. When it does come to natural ingredients I love hemp seed, that’s a really beautiful ingredient - Swisse do a really beautiful face oil. I love Jojoba Oil - just a straight up, pure Australian Jojoba oil from the Jojoba Company. That is beautiful because Jojoba basically mimics the way that our skin barrier regenerates. I love Squalane. Biossance do the most amazing Squalane oils. They’ve got the 100% Squalane Oil and then they have the Squalane and Rose face oil. It’s all sugarcane derived so they are able to save up to around 2 million sharks from being slaughtered. I also love rosehip. There are so many amazing ingredients, and particularly when they can be combined. I love sweet almond oil, macadamia oil, avocado seed oil - you can create some really beautiful products with those ingredients. 

6. The thing about skincare is we are all SO different & require such varied routines to best look after our complexion. For women who want to try & move towards incorporating a few more natural products into their skincare regime - any advice? For example a gentle mist or a micellar water? 

I would definitely recommend starting with a face oil. Now, I know face oils, in particular, there can be a lot of misinformation out there and there’s a common misconception that if you apply a face oil you’re going to make your face oily which is not the case. Face oils can be a really great way to rebalance your skin type if it is over producing oil or under producing. I think starting off with a really natural, pure face oil like a 100% rosehip or a 100% jojoba or a 100% squalane - that is a really good place to start. I personally recommend using face oil at night as opposed to in the day simply from the standpoint that you may not want to put makeup over the top of a face oil in the morning but certainly at night, it’s a really beautiful way to nourish your skin. And make it a bit of a ritual as well, really take the time to massage it in. At the moment I’m using Biossance and I just love sitting there and massaging it into my entire face. Really getting that circulation going and knowing that I’m really helping to replenish that lost moisture.

7. You've established such an impressive career in the beauty space! Bravo! What is the most exciting part of your job? 

I think, for me, it’s probably a mixture of things that I love. I love the creativity element and coming up with content ideas that push boundaries and can be captivating and engage our audience and really resonate and it completely stands apart from any other content that women can consume. I love that. I love working with my creative team. I think there is something really amazing when you can pull together a team both my Gritty Pretty team and also the whole host of photographers and makeup artists and hair stylists and fashion stylists that we work with. I think we’ve pulled together an amazing team and I just love letting them do their thing. I think for me, what I enjoy so much about being on set of photoshoots or video shoots is seeing everybody do what they do really well. I think that’s when a lot of magic can happen. I love the element of being able to connect. I am able to connect with beauty experts, interview them on a regular basis, connect with our audience and talk to our female readers very much on a daily basis. I think that element of one-to-one connection is what makes my job really special. And I also just love that no day is ever the same. You know, we’re in a unique time at the moment and still very much dealing with the effects of COVID-19 and I think this time - what it has certainly taught a lot of people and something that I was already very aware of because of the culture I try to create within the Gritty Pretty team is that people can do their job remotely. When you trust people to be able to work remotely they’re going to do an amazing job. I think there is something to be said for having that headspace and that flexibility and that freedom. So, I love that we have been able to adapt. You know, with things like Zoom, I am still very much able to connect with my team. But when I do get to see them - which is one day a week - I love it so much. And I think we are all so appreciative of that time, even though it is limited, to have that human connection.

8. I love that like myself you're a real beach girl. You clearly seek out ocean dips & walks to find peace & happiness which is beautiful. What kinds of habits have you formed over the years that are helping to preserve the state of our beautiful Australian beaches? 

My husband and I both grew up in a coastal area. We are both born and raised on the New South Wales Central Coast. He grew up in Terrigal and I grew up in Terrigal as well as this teeny tiny island called Saint Huberts Island. So, I grew up surrounded by water. I grew up going to the beach every weekend with my sister. I grew up doing sailing - the water is a huge part of my life. The ocean, in particular, is such a grounding force for my husband and I. He surfs every single day and goes spear fishing every single day. So, catching our seafood sustainably is a big thing for our family. We don’t buy seafood, especially farmed seafood - we would never buy farmed seafood. But he loves being able to go out and catch what we’re going to eat. So, that’s one thing we do as a family. When we go to the beach we always make sure to take three for the sea. So, if I see a piece of rubbish, whether it’s in the water or on the sand, I will always make a point of walking over to it, picking it up and making sure to put it in the bin. I think there is something to be said for being near or in the ocean. We, as humans, are made up of 60 per cent water. When our mothers are pregnant with us, we spend that time in amniotic fluid, in water. And I think the ocean in particular, there is this incredible positive energy that it can provide us with. And that’s proven, that’s science. There’s positive ions within salt water, with the salty air and having your feet in the sand. That feeling of rejuvenation you get isn’t just some made up feeling - it’s a real physical effect on our bodies that we receive from the ocean. It’s such a big part of my life. We’re really lucky that we live so close to the beach on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, so I just can’t really imagine a life without the ocean. We are so fortunate to live in Australia where there’s more beaches than any other country in the world and I think we have a responsibility to make sure we are keeping them clean. 

9. I've loved watching your delicious cooking during the ISO period! Let's talk DIY face masks! Any home remedies that are safe, healthy & effective?

Yes! The number one one that I like to do, and I also know Melanie Grant is a huge fan of this, is just pure Manuka honey. I don’t really have time to mash avocado, mash banana together - it’s too messy. I have a baby whose just started on solids so I’m not going to be mashing up any more fruit than I have to. Just a straight up New Zealand Manuka honey on the face. I know it seems sticky, but it is incredibly hydrating for the skin. If you have any flare ups, the amazing thing about Manuka honey is that it’s antibacterial, it’s antimicrobial. It is just a wonder ingredient. If you’ve got a jar of that in your pantry, pop it on your face!