Neal's Yard Remedies: Product Amnesty

As you'll know following my review this weekend, I'm a big fan of Neal's Yard Remedies who are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year.
In recognition of the milestone, the natural and organic brand has announced a Product Amnesty, starting today and running until 25th September. The Amnesty is designed to make you more aware of what ingredients you're putting onto your skin and act as an invitation to switch to a more natural alternative. Simply bring along your not-so-natural products to any Neal's Yard Remedies store and in exchange, receive 20% off their products. It's such a fantastic opportunity to check out the British brand. To help with your clearout, I've put together a quick snapshot of common ingredients which you'll find in non-organic products.

Mineral oil- a by-product of the petroleum industry, do you really want to put something on your face that you put in your car? If that doesn't put you off, products containing this merely sit on the skin and act as a barrier, not offering any additional conditioning benefits and can clog pores.
Parabens- preservative ingredients which have become quite a point of contention within the beauty industry- some say they're perfectly safe, whilst others have cited a link with breast cancer and reduced sperm count.
Sodium lauryl sulfate- a cheap detergent which gives products such as shampoo and shower gels their lather but can strip skin of it's natural oils. I've made a conscious effort to avoid SLS which I've found pretty easy to do and feel that my skin has benefitted from the choice.
Triclosan- commonly found in toothpaste, the safety of this antibacterial and antifungal agent is currently under review.