Skin is our largest body organ and the contents of half of the moisturisers, deodorants and other products that we put on it eventually, like food and drink, get absorbed into our bloodstream.  

If we accept the maxim "you are what you eat" then it's equally true, although not as catchy, to say "you are what you moisturise, deodorise, shower gel and shampoo".

With that in mind you'd think we'd take more care when choosing our shampoos, smellies and balms. We probably wouldn't choose to drink things with names like Cinnamidopropyltrimonium chloride and Dipentaerythrityl hydroxystearateon, although that is effectively what we're doing. 

And although the ingredients with the long names and many 'x's look the scariest, the ones causing most concern are actually parabens and some of the sulphates.

Parabens act as a preservative in personal hygiene products and were seen as a safer alternative to the cancer-causing formaldehyde that was initially used to perform this task. Recent, and unproven, scientific studies have suggested that paraben use is linked to a rise in breast cancer which has worried some manufacturers enough to phase them out. 

Concerns have also been raised about sulphates. These help to produce lather and foam in shampoos and soaps and have been linked to skin irritation and respiratory problems. The same sulphates can also be found in industrial and household cleaning products and if you shampoo too often it strips the hair and skin of its natural oils. 

Here at Outsider we've been using natural beauty products for almost a decade. We've always taken the view that we would rather invest in and stock products that have used natural and organic ingredients as their building blocks rather than ones which retain their original recipes but with some of the more harmful ingredients removed. 

With that in mind, earlier this year we asked our favourite beauty brands to come and join us, so we can now offer you a selection of hardworking organic and natural beauty items. All of these brands have done extensive research in order to find natural ingredients, organic where possible, to replace the harsher ones found in the most popular products. 

We've started by offering some essential organic skin care from the Skin & Tonic range. Their products carry the tag line "British. Organic. Sustainable." and we feature their balms, oils and scrubs. All their products contain seven ingredients or less, none of which have been tested on animals. It is also suitable for vegans. 

We have award winning organic hair care from Tabitha James Kraan. Tabitha runs her own salon in Gloucestershire and is a witness to the damage caused to hair by shampoos and conditioners. She and her husband researched natural alternatives and where possible these are organic. We've been using Tabitha's products since they launched last year and they do deserve all the awards they have won.    

And finally, one of the areas we have found most challenging is nail care. Most nail varnish and varnish removers smell even stronger than the varnish you paint your front door with. Even the nail varnish brands that have removed some of the most toxic chemicals from their recipes still harbour some nasty ones. Fresh Therapies natural nail varnish remover has received our seal of approval. We now use no other.