Principles at a price ... because you're worth it!

You can't step into iloveorganics, the saintly little Kendal shop heading up the organic movement in this part of the world, without resolving to have a little detox.

A quick glance at the rows of polished shelves, packed with simple, but expensive-looking lotions and potions, brings to my attention a) the fact they sell the face cream Kate Moss uses and b) my disappointingly dull reflection.

Regretting last night's wine and feeling a little guilty about my caffeine-craving, I try to ignore the fresh-faced young woman ordering a cup of green tea in the store's chic café and track down resident beauty-therapist Marie - a woman capable of transforming the tiredest of complexions.

Today, my T-zone and I are being introduced to the world of organic skincare - namely the products of clean skin pioneers REN (Swedish for clean'), although the shop also offers Dr.Hauschka, mop, and a host of other hip labels loved by the A-listers.

By way of introduction I'm pencilled in for REN's Revivo-Tonic Body Treatment and Five-Phase Bespoke Facial. Sienna's a fan of the first and Uma Thurman of the latter, so I've great expectations of emerging as a cover-girl as Marie hovers over my pasty limbs brandishing a body brush and questioning whether I'm happy for her to tackle my buttocks'.

"This treatment is all about stimulating the lymph system to reduce the appearance of cellulite and encourage cell renewal," explains Marie, ignoring my meek protestations that I don't have cellulite (ahem) as she slathers a scoop of Ginger Two Sugar Body Scrub across my thigh and begins a firm 40 minute kneading ritual that would send the most stubborn toxins into submission.

With demerara and muscovado sugars to smooth rough skin, remove dead skin cells and stimulate cell growth, plus Paraguay tea, kola nut and ginger to boost circulation and tone, the smell, like the treatment, is divine and makes me wonder why more cosmetics companies haven't already switched the synthetic stuff for a touch more Mother Nature.

She follows with a soothing, albeit firm, massage using REN's Monoi Nourishing Body Oil - a rich concoction which, she tells me, doubles as the perfect hair-protector in sunnier weather - and then it's out with the Revivo-Tonic Cool Comfort Leg and Foot Gel, the perfect finish to what's certainly the most invigorating treatment I've ever had, and one to pop on your shopping list if you're planning a night on the dance-floor soon.

Feeling smoothed, replenished and nourished from top-to-toe, an hour's facial feels almost too extravagant but we've only one skin after all.

The Bespoke Facial, as the name suggests, is tailored to meet the needs of each client and promises squeaky-clean skin and a luminescent glow. As it happens, the harsh winter has left my complexion confused. My normally oily T-Zone is now home to dry pink patches and the cleansing and moisturising routine I've relied on for years is reaping few rewards. But when I warn her she may have her work cut out, Marie just smiles.

Each treatment uses the massage technique Ko Bi Do which works on the facial and cranial muscles and Marie begins with a neck massage to get the blood flowing and purge the skin of any nasty toxins - a technique which is meant to encourage the skin to self-renew and, in turn, appear brighter and younger.

After prescribing me the sensitive range, Marie then cleanses using a blend of calendula and Arctic blackcurrant seeds (I didn't know they grew in the Arctic either) before bringing out the piece de resistance - REN's Omega 3 Overnight Lipid Renewal Serum. Practically an early-night in a bottle, this little treasure features vegetal plankton, wheatgerm and Gold of Pleasure Oil and is adored by beauty editors, actresses, models (and now me) for its abilities to tackle just about any lump, bump, blemish or dry patch in a matter of days.

Although now reserved for bedtime (I've been converted to REN's lovely Omega 3/7 Hydra-Calm Moisturiser in a morning) a little of this serum is all that's needed and it can be worn alone, or under your regular moisturiser for extra nourishment.

After introducing me to my new best friend, the facial ends with some handiwork to encourage lymphatic drainage and decongestion and I leave the iloveorganics treatment room half-expecting to be mistaken for a film star. By sheer chance (humour me), I am not, and the shop's owners Ian and Alexis Dixon invite me for a pressed apple juice and a chat about the organic revolution.

It's hard to dispute the organic market is growing faster than a genetically-modified turnip and in the 12 months since the couple introduced Kendal to the movement, business has really taken off. From its enviable position in the swanky Wainwright's Yard development, iloveorganics began as a shop and café - the shop selling luxurious organic-based skincare products plus a small range of gifts, and the café (caféorganic) providing a relaxed setting where customers could sample you guessed it organic food and drink.

It has only been recently that the Dixons have ventured into salonorganic - a move that saw them join the elite few that offer REN treatments outside of the fashion capitals of London and New York. The salon also boasts the scary-sounding Quantum QXCI Energy Scan - a tool which diagnoses vitamin and mineral deficiencies, food allergies and detects viruses.

Going by the success of their business, the pair's passion for the organic concept runs deeper than just wanting to be healthy."Organics is not only about health," explains Ian. "It's also the story behind the products that come into contact with our bodies not only in food, but in skincare and life in general. "It's about pesticides, antibiotics, chemicals, animal welfare, soil erosion, biodiversity, pollution and so much more. When you factor in such concepts as Fair Trade, food miles and quality of life for animals, it becomes apparent that products are just the tip of the iceberg."

A quick glance at her immaculate complexion and it's clear that Alexis has a skin-care secret. Luckily, she's willing to share it with me, and any customer who's willing to confess their skincare woes (from eczema, psoriasis, blemished to mature) either over the counter, or at one of the regular beauty workshops on offer.

"Skincare, in particular, is an area in which the routine use of chemicals, preservatives and additives has been grossly under-estimated," she tells me. "It's no coincidence that medicinal skin patches for things like HRT are ever-more prevalent. They simply prove the effectiveness of the human skin as a means of absorbing whatever is placed on it. You wouldn't knowingly put harsh chemicals in your body, so why put them on it?"

"Your skin isn't designed to handle chemicals," adds Marie. "But it begins to become dependent on them, which is why a lady may notice her skin is dry and tight if she forgets to moisturise one morning."

While Alexis swears by the Organic Pharmacy Collagen Boost Mask ("an instant face-lift in a jar" apparently) and describes the REN Rose Otto Bath Oil and Shower Wash as "sheer luxury in a bottle", even Ian confesses to using a dash of Dr.Hauschka Quince Day Cream in the morning, as well as filling his wash-bag with various organic toiletries, toothpastes, deodorants and shampoos.

Marie continues: "The thing about the products we sell is that they work in sync with your skin and address the problems that have probably arisen through the harsh products it's used to."

"And any reduction in the use of chemicals is better for the environment too," green-thinking Ian is quick to add.

The REN lot, along with their colleagues at Dr.Hauschka, Organic Pharmacy etc are, in the nicest possible way, killing two birds with one stone. Not only are they doing their bit for womankind on the product front, but also the environment on the green front.

While some cosmetic companies will happily add a scoop of polyacrylamide, nitrosame or a handful of synthetic chelating agents to their products (ingredients I wouldn't fancy putting down the loo, never mind on my skin) these guys follow a rule that seems to go something along the line of - if you can't pronounce it, it's not going in. But, in the same way that organic food costs more than regular, it's not cheap to go green when you're re-stocking your bathroom cabinet.

While my new pal (the Omega 3 serum) has a price tag of around £32, cleansers are around £16.50 and moisturisers about £23. Dr.Hauschka's famous Neem Hair Oil will set you back £16, a deodorant some £8, and a shampoo from mop hovers around the £10 mark.

OK if you subscribe to REN's theory that a principle is a principle even if it costs money, but not so good if you've a family of four hungry kids or you're saving for the latest must-have handbag.

The big however ... however ... is we only have one skin. And I, for one, am willing to dine on (organic) beans on toast for the next month if it means looking just a little bit more like an A-Lister.