ItsDinah there is a brand that I actively avoid because we had so many allergic reaction complaints about them. Actually, what I would avoid are fine. The individual ingredients are fine but their formulas are off. The research and eventual formulas are dictated by the product owners. This brand is mid priced and considered quite luxurious and sought after.
As a quick guide I consider anything between £15 - £40 to be mid priced.
Reasonable is below £15.
Cheap below £6.
More pricey is anything above £40.
Fragrance in a skincare product is about the brand's perceived uniqueness and consumer preference. Sometimes it is considered necessary because ingredients don't always smell appealing! Fragrance can cause skin reactions, often it makes a product seem expensive and appealing.
I will admit that there are some products I use that I like, in part, because of their smell.
For genuine skincare concerns I would always recommend visiting a registered dermatologist. For occasional eczema, mild seasonal psoriasis or occasional breakouts I can't recommend any specific products. I would make some suggestions if an OP posted in style and beauty asking for recommendations.
BuddhaAtSea I don't know why, that's a question for your MP but I think they would be a good idea, especially for creams.
SnugglySnerd I agree that reducing packaging and making existing packaging recyclable is vital. Pressure here comes directly from consumers to the product owners. Rally the troops and write to them, start petitions, anything that you can.
Before I finished working there I would ask the brand representatives to consider using environmentally friendly packaging. Usually their response was either that will be more expensive or consumers won't spend £££ on a product unless it feels luxurious. A particular bugbear of mine are those little plastic spatulas which are often included in high end products.
There is no longer really a need to test ingredients on animals Alb1 because pretty much any ingredient that you can think of has been tested already. Numerous studies show that testing products on animals has little use because animals don't react in the same way as humans do.
Expensivelydecorated some parabens are safe and naturally derived. Unfortunately, they have often been used to excess in the beauty industry. They can be necessary to ensure that your product arrives in your home without going off.
Rather than thinking globally we need to think small. Often a product will be formulated in the US, the UK or Germany. The product will be made in a country where labour costs are cheaper. Delivered in huge vats to the country of distribution, then bottled and packaged in that country.
Again, it comes down to consumer pressure. Convince brands to manufacture a product in the country in which it will be sold and you reduce the need for parabens and other preservatives.
This is my own opinion: in the UK we have the ability to manufacture products, we need the jobs and it will reduce any surcharges applied post Brexit.