You know how the best inventions are the ones that we feel should already exist? Well BAKEL is kind of like that; it is skincare the way it should always have been.

We are so used to seeing ‘paraben free’ or ‘perfume free’ on our products these days but shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t we have only ingredients that are beneficial to our skin in products? Shouldn’t the labels clearly tell us which extra/unnecessary ingredients have been added to our products instead?

Also, what is a paraben? If it’s taken out of a product, is it replaced by something equally as bad for our skin but just with a name we don’t recognise?! It is very much like the food labelling confusion that has been going on for years i.e something that is labelled as low fat can be loaded with extra sugars- actually making it worse for you! After much debate, food labels are improving and I would love it if beauty companies followed suit. It is time for transparency!

Step forward Dr Raffaella Gregoris! The Founder and creator of BAKEL, Dr Gregoris (with a Master’s degree in skincare chemistry and cosmetology, no less) when working in a cosmetics lab was shocked at what does (and what doesn’t) go into our skincare products. “How can a product containing less than 1-2% of Vitamin E be packed full of silicones and petrochemicals, but labelled a Vitamin E cream?!”. So BAKEL was born; 100% active ingredients and 0% useless substances, all labelled clearly and stamped with an expiry date. Not to mention being Kosher, nickel tested, metal free, gluten free, cruelty free & vegan, dermatologically tested, no animal testing, no petrochemicals, no silicones, no preservatives, no colourants, no alcohol, no perfume, no PEG/PPG, no sulphates, no MEA/DEA/TEA and no animal derivatives! Phew!

 Dr Gregoris, the philosophy of BAKEL is surely what we all want from our skincare products, why do you think it hasn’t been done before?

It is mainly down to cost. The active ingredients are more expensive than the silicones etc that are put into products to fill them up. It is also very costly to put an expiry date on a product.

What are the adverse effect on our skin of some of the unnecessary ingredients in products?

Silicones for example (often used in products to make it feel smooth and silky) have been proven to cause dryness in the skin, thicken the skin and it is comedogenic (blocks pores). Many of the unnecessary ingredients come from animal derivatives- these raw materials are already full of preservatives before they go into the product and then more preservatives are added to the product! Actually parabens are not the worst of the preservatives- EDTA is much worse, and that is being used in a lot of the ‘paraben free’ products now!

How would you reassure customers that 100% active ingredients will not overstimulate the skin?

By active we mean ‘doing a particular activity’ every ingredient we put in our products will bring a benefit to the skin and is healthy for the skin. They are not all stimulating ingredients, many are hydrating and de-sensitising.

How did you decide what products to create?

I created a range to address all signs of ageing. You choose a serum for the effect you require and you choose a moisturiser for your skin type.

Could you not put all the ingredients into one product to make a superhero product?!

Unfortunately no! Chemistry doesn’t work like that I’m afraid, some ingredients work well and sit well together and others don’t. I have tried though!

I love that you have created a baby range, why did you decide to include baby?

Our consumers asked for it! We have a very loyal customer base and we listen to them. We all want the best for our children!

Lastly, will you expand the brand or develop in-salon treatments?

Watch this space!

To spend an hour chatting to Dr Gregoris is to change the way you think about products forever! I have products that I have loved for years, that I’m now viewing with a very sceptical eye. It is truly fascinating; we have been brainwashed into thinking that if a product feels/smells/looks a particular way that it is somehow better for us? How did this happen?!

Let’s get back to basics! Let’s use only the ingredients that have been proven to be healthy for our skin and let’s start being honest about what is really going into our products! Yes, we know beauty companies are much better at listing product ingredients nowadays but let’s be honest, do any of us actually understand them all?

Bakel available now at Space NK & John Bell & Croyden