Over the years, many marketing lingos have been used in the beauty industry to attract customers. But are the said benefits of your favorite product actually damaging your skin and hair and health? Is the recent trend of natural beauty products actually rewarding?
Since the skin directly absorbs ~64% of the things that are applied, it is important to choose products and their component ingredients wisely. The face is especially several times more permeable than other broader body surfaces.
Let’s get to the basics and understand what’s the difference between chemical and natural ingredients and what products are good for your skin and hair…
Natural Ingredients In Beauty Products
When formulated scientifically, natural ingredients are always the preferable choice as they are more potent and safe. Natural products have ingredients that are derived from plants, animals, or minerals. They can be obtained through:
- Wild Gathering – Wild gathered or wild harvested ingredients is the practice of sourcing botanical ingredients from their natural habitats. Plants and trees that grow in the wild have the natural capacity to fend themselves against extreme weather conditions and predators. Thus, such component ingredients have the best constituent profiles of the ‘botanical active ingredient’.
- Organic Harvest – The term refers to how the ingredient is farmed. Organically harvester ingredients must be free from pesticides, chemical fertilizers, GMOs, and antibiotics.
Both wild-gathering and organic harvesting should be done sustainably and using scientific land management methods.
There is, however, no governing body that clearly defines the term natural. Natural ingredients do have proven benefits, but only when they are NOT just used as a simple marketing tool to sell products. Natural ingredients have to be introduced into products in a certain scientific concentration/ ratio for them to be most effective.
A shift towards natural ingredients and usage of terms like ‘wildgathered’, ‘organic’, ‘clean’, and others have a much wider objective than just appearing luxurious. Such products are not only good for your skin, hair, and health, but they are also eco-friendly and clean for the environment.
Chemicals In Beauty Products
Chemicals can be both natural and lab-made/ derived synthetically. To be specific, here we are talking about ‘toxic chemicals’ which have been altered at a molecular level in such a way that they are now scientifically proven to damage the skin, hair, and health in the long run. Many commonly used chemicals have been linked to endocrine disruption, skin irritation, and harm to the reproductive organs in both men and women.
What Toxic Chemicals Should You Avoid?
Some of the toxic chemicals that you should immediately get rid off are:
- Parabens – These are used as a preservative in almost all commercial beauty products, however on the downside, they are a potent endocrine (hormonal) disruptor, causes the skin to age faster, and may increase sensitivity.
- Sulfates – Sulfate (SLS/SLES) are cleansing agents commonly used in shampoos, cleansers, body wash, etc. However, they can cause dryness and reaction in some people to cause damage to the skin/scalp/hair.
- Synthetic Fragrances – These are derived chemically, often from petroleum products and a mixture of synthetic scents and essential oils. Studies say that the skin can absorb up to 100% of fragrant ingredients. Synthetic fragrances are skin sensitizers and cause skin irritation and damage.
Continue reading about the Most Common Toxins In Beauty Products & Their Natural Alternatives… and why you should avoid them…
Concerns Regarding Emerging Natural Beauty Products
Ever since the industry has understood the benefits of natural beauty products, several new brands, new formulas, and new consistencies have already saturated the market. This also brings about new concerns. Though it is a positive thing that there is an increase in the number of customers who are trying to be aware of what they are applying to their bodies, there is a whole lot of misrepresentation that may not produce the suitable ‘clean beauty’ results one is wishing for.
- Greenwashing – It is a practice where a company makes a false impression by marketing a constituent ingredient/ product for containing a vital (often costly) natural ingredient. However, the concentration of the highlighted ingredient is so low that it is not entitled to showcase the claimed benefits. As a result, you never get the desired results.
- Labeling – Since terms like ‘Natural’, ‘Clean’, ‘No Animal Testing’, and many such lingos are not clearly monitored by the regulatory authorities, they are often misused and randomly printed on the labels to attract customers. To avoid spending on a product that is actually not worth it, one must always check with the company website for the most potent results.
At Puraveda Organics, all our products are made from ingredients that are sourced sustainably (with fair-trade practice)/ locally-grown/ organically harvested and wildcrafted in their most potent ratio by the best team of scientific experts. As a result, all our dedicated regimens have proven to deliver results in less than a month. To learn more about our company ethics and practices, read the FAQs page.
