Within the scope of “3rd Istanbul Medeniyet University Sustainability Week” activities, “Natural Skin Care Workshop with Aromatherapy” was organized on Friday, December 22, 2023 through the collaboration of IMU Sustainability Office and Sustainability Club. Led by Eudemonia founder İdil ERTÜRKLER, the event was held at IMU Sustainability Office, open to the participation of all Istanbul Medeniyet University students, staff and the public. In the first stage of the two-stage workshop, information was given on sustainable product options that will contribute to a healthy lifestyle and reduce health risks by moving away from chemical products in daily skin care and replacing our routines with natural ones. In the second stage of the workshop, built on the basics of aromatherapy, the participants prepared a skin care product for themselves from natural oils.
In the first stage of the workshop, İdil ERTÜRKLER emphasized the importance of skin health and gave information about different skin types and their needs. She underlined that when we switch to a sustainable care routine using natural products in skin care, we can meet the needs of our skin much more easily and minimally. ERTÜRKLER pointed out that today’s cosmetics industry directs consumers to much more complex skin care routines with more products, and emphasized that this consumption culture leads to a large amount of waste production and thus environmental pollution; in addition, some products on the market contain too many chemicals, which negatively affect our skin health in the long term. She stated that by choosing natural products with sustainable labeling, we not only have a healthier skin with fewer products, but also contribute to waste reduction.
Stating that natural skin care consists of three stages: cleansing, toning and moisturizing, ERTÜRKLER gave examples of natural ingredients that she recommends to be used at each stage. Explaining the distinction between the properties and uses of plant juices and plant oils, she stated that it would be sufficient to wash the face with castile soaps in the skin cleansing phase; while removing make-up, natural ingredients such as rosewater or lavender water mixed with base oils can be applied with sustainable cotton wool if possible. She emphasized that spraying plant water during the toning stage prepares the skin for the oil-based product and ensures that less oil is used in the next stage. Stating that many regions in Turkey have a rich species diversity in terms of aromatic plants, ERTÜRKLER stated that there can be many different types of plants and that reading labels is of great importance when using products. She also stated that species are named differently in different regions and emphasized that the globally valid Latin names of species should be checked on the labels.
In the application phase following the training, the participants mixed the natural oils provided by Eudemonia in the proportions specified by the trainer to create their own plastic waste-free, natural skincare products, thus taking the first step towards a sustainable skincare routine.
The workshop ended with the presentation of a certificate of appreciation and a sustainable gift kit to trainer İdil ERTÜRKLER by IMU Sustainability Office.
