In order to understand antioxidants you need to understand very generally what free radicals are. Free radicals are damaged cells that attempt to heal themselves by stealing from healthy cells, in turn damaging these cells and causing a domino effect – or a free radical chain reaction. What causes them?  Normal bodily processes, smoking, air pollution or sunlight. Whatever their cause, they are extremely treacherous. They have been linked to many health issues and for our purposes they are dreadful in terms of what they do to the skin, ultimately resulting in wrinkles and ageing..

Antioxidants are the antidote, provided they are used correctly. They include certain vitamins, amino acids and other natural substances and are said to not only neutralize free radicals, but they are even able to reverse some of the damage caused. Because of their extreme importance we include antioxidants in every product!

In addition to helping protect our skin from ageing, they are also able to assist in preserving products that include natural oils.

General

How do you define natural?

What are antioxidants?

The word natural as used in skincare is very difficult to define. Almost every ingredient derived from a natural source needs to be processed in some way before it is used as an ingredient. Examples are the extraction of essential oils from plants, the pressing of seeds and nuts to obtain oils, steeping parts of plants to obtain decoctions, drying ingredients and grinding them to powders, removing impurities etc.

Perhaps the question should really be: to what extent is processing allowed before something is no longer natural?  Some ingredients are actually only a part of the natural source e.g. allantoin is derived from the comfrey plant. As a whole, it has been suggested that that this plant is not safe, but that part of it is exceptionally beneficial.

Is this really very different from deriving the essential oil from a plant? All that we are taking is an absolutely miniscule part of it, that doesn’t really resemble the origins at all.

As we have said before our guidelines are to work as closely as possible to the framework of nature, whilst using the research and advancements that science has been able to offer.

MIGNON: the science of natural skincare.  • Tel  020-7359-3999   • Email  info@mignonskincare.co.uk

Return to FAQs

Products seem slightly different from the last time I ordered. Why is that?

The products may differ slightly in colour, smell and sometimes the consistency may even change a little. This is essentially because the products are made with natural ingredients. Crops differ from region to region, from field to field and even from season to season. Think of oranges or tomatoes you may eat in Spain or the rest of Europe versus the same at home. Some seasons may have a lot of rain, whilst others may be very dry—causing very different resulting ingredients. In addition differences may be seen if different versions of the same ingredient are used eg liquid versus a powdered version. Thus no two batches will be identical. Of course this could be remedied if we used specific colourants and fragrances, which we don’t. They will however perform just as well!

What products should I purchase for problem skin?

I usually suggest people have a look at the following before changing their skin care regime, to be sure that they are ordering the correct products. (The Blemish Defying Cream is an add-on product. I generally suggest people see how they get on with the toners before they choose to look at buying the Blemish Defying Cream)

The first thing to determine is your skin type (people can have problem skin whether their skin is really dry, combination or oily), and whether your skin is very sensitive (this is often the case if you have acne rosacea).

Of course it is always important to remove make up thoroughly, before going to bed. Therefore if you have a make up remover that you are happy with, please continue using it. Ours is cream-based, and citrus oils dissolve the oils in the make up. It can also be used as an ordinary cleanser but many people with problem skin only feel clean if they use a face wash.

If you have combination skin (slightly oily in parts), the Gentle Face Wash, Combination Skin Toner & any of the moisturisers including the Mens Aftershave Balm (often used by women with problem skin) would be suitable. I often recommend the Cell Repair Cream where people have had problem skin for a while, because it provides the skin with a boost of nutrients.

If you have exceptionally dry skin, I would recommend the Gentle Face Wash (if you aren't happy just to use the Make Up Removing Milk), Dry Skin Toner & again any of the moisturisers.

If you have oily skin, then the Liquid Soap Cleanser, the Oily & Problem Skin Toner & any of the moisturisers.

The toner is the key to dealing with the problem areas. If they are caused by dead & damaged skin building up on the surface and trapping oil that then becomes infected the toner will sort it out entirely. If it is caused for other reasons, the toner with help clear the skin more quickly than usual.

All the products are concentrated and should last for 3 months at a minimum.

Our whole philosophy is to work with the skins natural processes and to be as gentle as possible avoiding inflammation at all costs, as it leads to micro scarring, which leads to ageing.