Journal
The Journal is where we follow the questions that interest us, from aromatherapy, herbalism and botanical ingredients to skincare, formulation, movement and everyday wellbeing. Along the way, we explore history and tradition, look closely at the science, consider how ingredients are grown and sourced, and share what we are learning as Botanicals & Company develops.
Thoughtful, evidence-led writing about the things we use, the practices we follow and the ideas worth understanding more deeply.
A small, identifiable group of essential oils carries a genuine, well-documented phototoxicity risk, and a single processing decision, expressed versus distilled, changes that risk almost entirely.
Read the articleTart, floral Key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks, set in a digestive biscuit crust and finished with softly browned piped meringue, made from the egg whites the filling leaves spare.
Read the article“FDA approved” is not one thing. Colloidal oatmeal is recognised under a specific, bounded regulatory monograph, and understanding exactly what that means, and does not mean, is more useful than the phrase alone.
Read the articleThree or four honest ingredients, pressed into a tin and baked until the edges turn deep gold. Honey in place of golden syrup gives these a rounder sweetness and a properly chewy middle.
Read the articleJapanese skincare gets flattened into “ten steps” and a handful of trending ingredients, most of which actually belong to Korean beauty culture. The real story: sun avoidance as the actual anti-ageing routine, a regulated whitening category most countries have no equivalent for, and the honest evidence behind rice bran, camellia oil and the geisha facial.
Read the articleEvery culture that has thought seriously about skin has arrived at a different answer, shaped by climate, history and regulation. A growing, properly researched hub covering national skincare traditions one country at a time, starting with Japan.
Read the articleI had reflexology while trying to conceive and fell pregnant within three months. I am genuinely grateful, and genuinely unsure reflexology caused it. What a sham-controlled fertility trial actually found, what the pregnancy and labour evidence shows, and an honest look at the traditional ‘forbidden points’ caution.
Read the articleDouble cleansing is marketed as a K-beauty innovation and dismissed by critics as an unnecessary extra step. Neither holds up well against the evidence, which specifically favours an oil-then-water cleanse for sunscreen and makeup removal, and specifically cautions against overdoing it on already-sensitive skin.
Read the articleSix aromatherapy books worth actually owning, what each one is genuinely good for, where it falls short, and a deliberate effort to point towards British authors. No affiliate links, just the easiest way to find each one.
Read the articleFive years of Surrey to Waterloo taught me the mechanics of commuting. It never taught me how to actually use the journey. As more of us split the week between home and office again, here is what I would do differently, and why the goal is arriving better, not squeezing in more work.
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