It's hip - not to mention, helpful to sales - for skincare companies to make a big deal about caring for the environment. But the eco chic souls of the fashion world know that the beauty companies' caring has to be a lot more than skin deep.

For example, it's not enough for them to claim they are champions of the green cause just because they produce cloth bags, instead of non-biodegradable plastic ones, for their customers to carry.

That green badge of earth pride has to be earned.

Some companies, though, have been earth-aware right from the ground floor.

Two familiar names in Singapore, The Body Shop and Kiehl's, have long cottoned on to the idea of protecting and preserving the environment - that they could harvest natural products to nourish consumers' skin.

Sunita Ramesh, 35, a teacher, remembers how as a teen, she became a convert to The Body Shop.

'This was as early as 1991 and I can remember The Body Shop's campaigns, which stressed how their products were free from animal testing. There was also the recyling efforts - I remember taking back my shampoo and conditioner bottles once I had finished using them to get refills.'

She adds: 'It was a brand that made you feel good about using their products because you always felt like you were saving Mother Earth at the same time.'

While The Body Shop has since stopped doing refills because of contamination, you can still return bottles to be recycled.

Beauty brand Kiehl's, which started out in the United States as a Mom-and-Pop apothecary back in 1851, is also conscious of how excessive consumerism and wastage affect the planet.

Patrick Kullenberg, 40, general manager of Kiehl's worldwide, who was in Singapore last month for store visits, says it shows this awareness by avoiding air shipments in favour of freight (to reduce its carbon footprint) and by using renewable energy sources like wind and hydro power over nuclear and oil sources to power plants or stores.

Kiehl's stores are designed to maximise natural light and have floors made of reclaimed wood. Company stationery and collaterals use soy ink or recyclable paper.

It's also keen on using more organic and fair-trade harvested ingredients. The latter are products from Third World farmers.

Its new Argan Oil Superbly Restorative moisturising range - which goes on sale here this month - is one example.

The Argan tree is native to Morocco and the plant, fruit and its nutritious oil are prized by Berber nomads, who have traditionally used them for cooking and skin healing.

Kiehl's has, through fair-trade pricing, bought a supply to use in its new skincare line. The project gives Berber women - many of whom are uneducated and jobless - a new livelihood and financial independence.

They are paid an average of US$100 ($137) a month and receive a share of the co-operative's profits. Without fair-price trading, a woman would earn only between US$20 and US$30 monthly.

Says Kullenberg: 'In choosing to use an ingredient obtained through fair trade agreements, you're not just buying a crop. You're supporting a community.'

It is a bold step by Kiehl's, as one Argan tree only produces 8kg of fruit a year, so it is not a commercially stable crop. However, if there is no crop one year, Kiehl's is willing to suspend making its moisturising range until the next harvest.

American beauty brand Origins, from the Estee Lauder stable, is another priding itself on its social responsibility.

Says Origins brand manager Singapore Lilian Neo, 35, its philosophy involves buying wind power to offset the use of electricity.

This carbon dioxide reduction is reportedly equivalent to planting 788,589 trees. (Trees generate oxygen and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.)

Origins' conservation plans in the United States include funding the building of extra wind turbines to supply electricity to its manufacturing plants. This will reduce carbon dioxide emissions, equal to planting 61,562 trees.

THE BODY SHOP	ORIGINS
Set up in England in 1976 by the late Dame Anita Roddick, the company was a pioneer in eco-friendly practices. - It has practices like Green Friday in which the office has a 'no printing' or 'no lights' policy for the whole day. - Its Community Trade programme, launched 20 years ago, involves trading with disadvantaged communities and giving them a fair price. It now provides income to over 25,000 people. - Customers can bring back empty bottles for recycling. Using recycled items helps The Body Shop save nine million new plastic bottles a year. - Its Bag For Life programme encourages customers to use cloth bags. Last year, it introduced a degradable plastic carrier bag in Hong Kong and Singapore, which takes between six and 18 months to break down completely, as opposed to the 500 to 1,000 years taken by standard plastic bags.	An American skin and bodycare company launched in 1990 as an alternative premium beauty label, its formulas draw on botanicals and plant essential oils. - This year, it launched a new Organics line - its first, and reportedly the first collection of skin, body and hair-care products to be certified under United States Department of Agriculture and National Organic Program standards. This means the line meets stringent standards required for growing proper organic food. Essentially, no toxic and persistent chemical pesticides and fertilisers can be used in growing the ingredients. Prices range from $30 for lip balm to $82 for face lotion.
KIEHL'S	CLARINS
The American skin and bodycare company is known for its use of herbs and natural ingredients. Since the 1970s, Kiehl's has been using recycled bottles. - It is launching its Superbly Restorative Preparations with Fairly Traded Argan Oil. The bottles are made with 100 per cent PCR (post consumer recycled) plastic, which also makes them completely biodegradable. - Customers can take their old recyclable cosmetic bottles to any Kiehl's store for recycling. In return, they will get a Kiehl's organic cotton tote bag.	The French cosmetics house, founded in 1954, has built its reputation on plant and plant extracts to pamper and repair skin. - Funded a Singapore Botanical Gardens project two years ago to teach kids about botanical plants and what they can do for the mind and body. - Collaborated with the National Parks Board two years ago to launch the first biennial Singapore Garden Festival. Clarins's Garden of Beauty exhibit showcased plants like mint, basil and rosemary that benefit both mind and body. - The second Singapore Garden Festival will run from July 25 to Aug 1at the Suntec City Convention Centre and Clarins will have a Learning Garden exhibit, teaching kids about carbon footprints.

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times on May 1, 2008.