Over the years I've become increasingly concerned by the grim reality of commercially grown flowers, from an environmental and worker perspective. It has driven me to grow as much as we can for the Apothecary in Harris and to source incredibly carefully from herbal medicine suppliers for the remainder.
Our plants are grown organically on our croft and in our greenhouse and some are sustainably wild harvested - we use a variety of seaweeds for products and plant health on our land. Our plants are harvested and dried or frozen and then stored in glass or food grade stainless steel. We have almost entirely eliminated plastics from our workshop for our own and your health.
The plants we need to buy in are also organically grown and we use two reputable herbalist suppliers to ensure that they are clean and medical grade.
However we are rare in our approach and determination. The commercial flower growing industry is toxic and the flowers you buy may well be causing harm, not only to the producers but also to everyone along the supply chain.
Over the years I have seen more and more plant workers with dreadfully damaged skin - I know of at least 2 who have abandoned floristry in London because of it.
The Research
This morning I was reading a post by the Cumberland Flower Farm, it was from 2020 but still very relevant. It was written by a grower and florist who referred to research by Prof Khaoula Toumi in 2019 (Biological monitoring of exposure to pesticide residues among Belgian florists in the Journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment 26 (3) 1-18)
In it they asked 20 volunteer florists to wear gloves for 2-3 hours a day as they went about their daily flower work using flowers supplied by the wholesaler. The gloves were then analysed for chemical residues - 107 were found including insecticides and fungicides which are hazardous to health. These were found at levels 1000 times higher than food safe levels. Additionally urine samples were analysed and 70 different pesticide residues were detected. These particular pesticides at these levels can cause neurological issues, fertility problems and cancer.
In this research the target group were florists, but for the growers the conditions are infinitely worse. In 2025 the UK cut flower and ornamental plant sales were worth £2.2 billion. 57% of Roses and 20% of carnations came from Kenya totalling £14.3 million, whilst Colombia's share was £5.2 million mainly for Roses, Carnations, Alstroemerias, and Hydrangeas.
I highlight Kenya and Colombia because labour rights are notoriously poor in the flower industry with many workers exposed to extremely hazardous chemicals (HHPs) which are banned in Europe because they cause chronic respiratory problems, skin damage and organ damage. In 2003 there was a mass poisoning in Colombia and in Kenya chlorpyrifos, which is a highly hazardous chemical is still used in spite of exposure causing severe sweating, loss of bowel control, severe muscle tremors, seizures, loss of consciousness (coma), or death.
There is a real double standard - we have been prepared to overlook the safety of workers overseas whilst banning dangerous chemicals here, but it also affects anyone who handles these plants on a regular basis and that includes florists and regular purchasers of flowers.
Does it Affect Skincare?
So now consider the products you put on your own skin every day. Who grows the flower essences and extracts that go into commercial skincare? Where do, for example, the Roses come from that go into your Mist, Face oil, Cream or Balm?
In fact in conventional commercial Rose production in Morocco and Egypt (key producers where Rose varieties for skincare are grown) a wide array of synthetic pesticides and fungicides are used to maximise yield - commonly used are fungicides like dodemorph which is highly toxic to aquatic life, propamocarb which affects the gut microbiome, and procymidone which can affect fertility, and insecticides such as acephate which is an organophosphate and damaging to the nervous system, imidacloprid which is highly toxic to bees, and thiamethoxam which also has a devastating effect on bees and insects.
Don't be deceived by website pictures of fields of beautiful Roses and happy smiling workers, the true story can be very different and be aware that these chemicals can find their way from the field into your skincare.
So What Are The Options
There is some good news if buyers can change their current buying habits. In terms of cut flowers there is a new initiative, a group of UK growers and academics have got together to propose a radical shift towards locally grown, sustainable flowers.
The Flower Growers Collective (FGC) are intending to create local hubs and a really good online platform, similar to the Open Food Network, that would connect UK flower farmers who have much more capacity but a limited route to market. This would allow florists to buy from a number of different growers on one platform in one transaction, hugely reducing the admin and allowing florists to source really good quality blooms local to them.
The FGC also plan to offer training to farmers to ensure consistent quality, sustainable cultivation methods and better land use. They can also work with florists to ensure that the blooms are as needed by the trade.
This initiative should allow the meagre 10% of UK sales into the market to increase hugely whilst also reducing environmental impact too.
And in Skincare?
There is no equivalent for skincare flowers and plants, so before you buy, ask the questions. Think about ingredients, and if they are plant based, enquire about provenance. Those of us with nothing to hide welcome enquiries and love to invite people into our growing spaces and workshop.
Smaller brands are usually much more approachable and you can often find a way to the founder (amanda@asapoth.com) and by supporting our work, you support our environment, our employees and you actually look after yourself too, plus our Roses are absolutely beautifully scented, vital and very well loved. Some are now 12 years old and still producing, years after their commercially produced counterparts would have been grubbed up and discarded.
