This is particularly worrying when, in this country alone, there are 75,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed every year.

Before even thinking about sun lotion, do the obvious: Don’t stay in the glare of the sun – particularly around midday when the rays are at their highest. Wear light-coloured, loose-fitting light clothes and ensure you wear a sun hat and sunglasses that have UV protection. Ensure you drink plenty of water and shower in cool water regularly.

Due to the complexities of the formulation, it’s tricky – whatever other brands out there may say-  to get a completely organic and natural suncream. New European Commission guidelines have changed the regulations of labelling and rating criteria for UVA efficacy in sunscreens which has meant that some of the natural sunscreens disappeared from market. There are however some products that are far considerate both to the environment whilst protecting you from the sun’s rays.

You can boost your skin vitamins by eating fruit and vegetables rich in Vitamin A and E that can be found in avocado, olives. You could also try drinking iced green tea, rich in antioxidants that will help protect skin cells.

The Environmental Working Group in the US provided a report of over 500 global sunscreen brands, or which it noted that only 39 were able to provide adequate protection while still not containing any potentially hazardous ingredients. One of these brands was Marie Veronique Organics, which uses fair trade, organic and local ingredients where possible. This brand also has a vegan version.

Award wining sun lotions that contain a minimum of 84% organic ingredients, certified by Organic Food Federation and Ecocert, can be bought at Green People. Its Face Defence Lotion is great. Particularly suitable for sensitive skin and as a means to protect against other sun-related irritations such as prickly heat, these lotions contain the herbs Echinacea, myrrh and aloe vera, known for their soothinig, healing and moisture binding properties. What’s more, the company does not use any synthetic fragrances, harsh preservatives or artificial colours, ensuring the lotions are very gentle indeed.

You might also want to try German brand lavera’s natural cosmetics line, Sun sensitive,which offers mineral sunscreens, after sun and self tanning lotions including lip balm, coloured sun sprays for children and anti-ageing creams. The skin is protected immediately upon application.

One of the biggest issues we have is that we never apply enough sun lotion.

Charlotte Vøhtz, Green People Founder explains. “It is really important that you apply a generous amount of sunscreen (30ml to cover your body / one shot glass) every 2 hours you are in the sun.  New research indicates that under-applying significantly reduces the SPF achieved and the higher the SPF rating the greater the reduction.  Under-applying an SPF70 will only offer SPF8.4, whereas under-applying SPF25 will decrease to SPF5.”

If you do spend too long in the sun, try Weleda’s Aloe Vera BDIH certified body lotion or Neal’s Yard Remedies Aloe Vera after sun, which both brilliantly cool and soothe pink skin.

Love Lula is a great online natural and organic beauty retailer where you can see a choice of self tan and sun creams, including trial size products to test out before you find the best one.

Image credit: Green People

This exclusive beauty salon and shop treats busy Parisians – and tourists – needing help with stressed bodies or irksome sports injuries. It’s an ideal spot for those wanting to relax mind and body with its soothing treatments such as luxurious facials or a simple foot massage if you’ve overdone the sight-seeing.

I went there this spring via Eurostar from London for some extra pampering on my birthday.

Walking through the glass doors into this cosmopolitan space triggers an immediate feeling of leaving the cares of the world behind. Imagine sitting in the airy sandstone coloured reception with its high ceiling and vertical living garden and you’ll see why you instantly relax as soon as you walk in.

The spa itself is fitted out in only natural materials such as granite and oak, and decorated with colours to compliment the Weleda range.

The pampering ‘menu’ is again made up of natural, unique Weleda treatments, such as facials, a full body massage or the ultimate head to toe massage, which lasts nearly two hours. I really loved mine and chose the toning Weleda birch oil for the treatment, which left my whole body not only relaxed but also deeply moisturized without feeling sticky.

There are also training sessions at the Espace such as baby massage classes and toning and fitness sessions. Some of the most popular workshops are where women learn about breast health, self-examination and massage techniques to help improve the contour and revitalise the blood and lymphatic circulation to eliminate accumulated toxins in the breast and release the tensions often associated with wearing a bra – perfect for pregnant women and new mums.

After the treatment I relaxed with a hot reviving herbal tea in the reception area, really, a perfect birthday treat!

To book with Espace Weleda (10.30am to 7pm weekdays and 2-7pm on Saturdays) call 00 331 53 96 06 15 or email service.consommateurs@weleda.fr – or visit www.espace-weleda.fr for a virtual tour.

Talking about how he set up his company, founder Jan Harm ter Brugge explains: “I’m an industrial designer, and a few years ago I decided it was time for a shift for my own practice: making things I like, with fine materials and great tools in a nice environment is often better than slaving away behind a computer, designing unwanted plastic products nobody really needs.”

“So I started off making spoons and whistles for my kids like my grandfather did for me when I was ten.”

Using wood sourced from their own small half acre of mixed forest as well as an Amsterdam-based gardening company, Hout Van Bomen utilizes traditional tools and crafting techniques to make their products.

Jan also offers weekend carpentry workshops in the Netherlands, or workshops and lectures elsewhere (they can bring tools, tents and wood for max. 8 people).

If you visit Varanasi, the cultural capital of India, you will experience the mystic hustle and bustle of pilgrims and slow-moving boat wallahs on the banks of the ochre-hued River Ganges. Yet, alongside the commotion is a vast peace of silk emporiums, a token tribute to an age old slow tradition of community weaving within the region that once clothed the Indian Maharajas and the Dalits (low caste) alike.

For 1,000 years, weavers willingly surrendered themselves in spiritual reverie to the quality-focused techniques of hand-looming within the city’s twisted alleyways, where kilometres of refined, luxurious thread would hang forth and feed the streets.

The silk, sometimes created in a co-operative partnership between two weavers, would be opulently embroidered with gorgeous motifs of myth and nature such as marigolds, swans and griffins through binary systems (perhaps the origin of computer’s today) and often enhanced with gold or silver (zari) thread.

Oscar de la Renta once commented that, ‘”Silk does for the body what diamonds do for the hand.”

However the fast pace of modern life, the adoption of mass production and the acceptance of “poor-quality, cheap machine-silk has substantially impacted the brocade craft and its unique results.

“Many looms are lying silent today and many have even been sold off. As the traditional sari has been pushed to a side of the wardrobe of the modern woman, so have these weavers been pushed to the fringe of their community.”

This lost craft has erupted into discord for the 150,000 remaining weavers, forcing them into a vulnerable life of unemployment, who often migrate to hard labour away from their skill and home.

Yet there is hope of revival through The Varanasi Weavers Project, which is re-training weavers and bringing the old craft up-to-date and making commercially viable. Moving away from the myriad spectacle of colours, the collection offers Western sophistication with classic colours of blacks and natural shades, while entwining clean-cut contemporary designs with the traditional aesthetic in order to make it more desirable.

The famous Varanasi embroidered “Zardosi” buttons crafted by village women, that has been long-applauded for its fashion finesse is also being revitalized, while the pure silk fabric has also been made lightweight, colour-fast and machine washable.

“We believe that these weavers have magic in their fingers; they are not asking for pity.”

Showcased to audiences at the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris in Autumn 2008, it is hoped that the project, of which now encompasses 60 weavers working in three Dalit villages around the city, can expand its aesthetically-charming and socially vital grassroots industry.

Photos:  Varanasi Weavers Project