Green Goddesses is an ethical business based in south east Cornwall committed to selling fair-trade and ecological health and beauty products, vitamins and supplements, organic herbal tinctures, re-usable nappies, sprouting seeds and beans, wheatgrass grain, Urtekram products, which are organic and biodegradable, Lavera and  Faith in Nature products.

If you are in the Plymouth or surrounding areas of Devon,  Tavistock, Liskeard or Caradon area of Cornwall it may be possible to place a monthly order of products from this website and have them delivered to your home. There is a minimum monthly order of £20 for people living in these areas of Cornwall or Plymouth who would like to use this delivery service. Please email sales@greengoddesses.net for the next order date which will be in December. There is also a £5 delivery charge.

For those of you in other areas, all products  which are not currently in stock can be ordered and will be available on the next monthly order. Please email for further details.

If there are any products which fit Green Goddesses criteria of being ecologically friendly and not containing chemical or synthetic ingredients and you would like me to look into stocking them, please email me with the details at sales@greengoddesses.net.

There are a number of unhealthy chemicals and artificial additives and synthetic perfumes in many health and beauty products. Some of these ingredients have been linked to hormonal changes and even breast cancer.
Products you use on your skin are absorbed into your body and thus it is of great importance to have an understanding of what the ingredients on your shampoo, soap, body lotions and moisturisers mean.

Here is a list of 12 of the undesirables.Please check your bathing and body care range for these ingredients. If you can see any of these listed then my advice would be to consign them to your rubbish bin! Not use them on your skin.

Look out for the following!!

Antibacterials- Found in cleansers, deodorants and other cosmetic products.Antibacterials such as Triclosan encourage the growth of drug resistant bacteria according to a study in "Nature" July13 2000.
Coal Tar Colours-So called coal tar chemicals are found in many "FD&C" or "D&C" colours used in make-up and hair dye.FD&C Blue 1 and FD&C Green 3 are carcinogenic (cancer causing).D&C Red 33, FD&CYellow 5 & FD&C Yellow 6 have been shown to cause cancer when applied to the skin!
Diethanolamine-Widely used in shampoos. DEA is a suspected carcinogen.
Formaldehyde-Found in eye shadows, mascaras and other cosmetics, formaldehyde is "reasonably expected to be a human carcinogen" according to the National Toxicology's 9th Report of Human Carcinogens 2001.
Glycol Ethers-Widely used industrial solvents found in nail polish, deodorants, perfumes and other cosmetics. Some glycol ethers are hazardous to the reproductive system. Avoid those listed on labels as EGPE, EGME,EGEE,DEGBE,PGME,DPGME, and those with "methyl" in their names.
Heavy Metals:Lead and Mercury-A brain and nervous system toxin as well as a known carcinogen and hormone disrupter , lead accumulates in the bones. It is found in lead acetate in hair dyes and make-up.
Mercury-a tiny amount of this potent nervous system toxin which accumulates in the body is allowed as a preservative in eye-area cosmetics.
Parabens-Used in underarm deodorants, parabens have recently been found in tissue samples from human breast tumours. The estrogenic activity of parabens may be linked to the development of breast cancer since estrogen is a major aetiological factor in the growth of human breast cancer according to a study published in the "Applied Journal of Toxicology Jan/Feb issue 2004."
Parabens of many types including methyl, ethyl, propyl,butyl, isobutyl and others have shown hormonal activity. If you see any parabens listed in your skin care, hair care or body care products, consign them to the bin and warn others of their effects.
Petrolatum-Commonly used in lipsticks, lip protection, baby creams and eye shadows. Petrolatum can cause allergic reactions in sensitive skin. It also depletes a non renewable resource by virtue of being a petroleum product.
Phenylenadiamine-Found in many hair dyes, PPD is linked with skin irritations and respiratory disorders.PPD is mutagenic and is reasonably expected of being a carcinogen. It has been banned in Europe.
Also called amino dyes, para dyes or peroxide dyes.
Phthalates-Used widely in fragrances, hair products, deodorants and lotions, the oily texture of phthalates acts like a moisturiser and helps lotions to penetrate the skin. Various members of this family of chemical plasticisers have been found to produce cancer of the liver and birth defects in lab animals. Since phthalates often hide behind the term "fragrances" choose products that are fragrance free or are scented with pure essential oils.
Sodium Laurel Sulphate-In tests on animals SLS caused severe epidermal changes to the skin. Often found as an additive in shampoo.
Toluene-This solvent found in nail polish can cause liver damage and is irritating to the skin and the respiratory tract.

This information was taken from "The Dirty Dozen Ingredients in Personal Care Products" by Diane de Costanzo first published in the National Geographic February 2004.