What Is Natural Skincare?

UNDERSTANDING THE LABELING

As a general rule, if the ingredients list looks good enough to eat, then it's good enough for your skin!
And you do have to look at the ingredients list; a product with the word 'natural' splashed all over it is no actual indication that it is natural. Regulations on skincare labelling are far more lax than food labelling.
The same applies to the word 'organic'. A manufacturer can print organic on the labelling, even if only a tiny percentage of the product is organic.
Natural skin care products use natural oils and extracts instead of many of the harsh chemicals commonly found in creams, cleansers and other toiletries. 
As well as being more similar to the natural structure of our skin and cells, many of the oils often contain other health giving benefits. Many chemicals frequently found in synthetic skincare products are used primarily because they are cheap and often give the short-term appearance of softening and smoothing the skin. But the long-term implication of accumulating these chemicals in our bodies is anything but rosy.
Many synthetic ingredients can dry and irritate the skin and are linked with more serious health concerns. Some - such as parabens - mimic oestrogen and are linked with fertility problems and even cancer.
As a general rule, a natural moisturiser or cleanser will have some kind of vegetable oil or base oil as its main ingredient, usually sweet almond oil, olive oil or sesame oil.  Synthetic products are more likely to use petrolatum or mineral oil as their main ingredient. (Both mineral oil and petrolatum are on our 'chemical nasties' list; they are made by refining crude oil and the end result is a product that interferes with the skin's ability to 'breathe'.)
A word on aromatherapy oils in products; just to confuse the issue further, essential oils have to be listed under their Latin names on an ingredients list (although often the oil's commonly used name is added in brackets afterwards.)  
And natural does not always equate with safe. A few drops of essential oil can contain the essence of dozens, if not hundreds, of plants or flowers. Which is why buying products already blended with safe levels of essential oils is preferable to making your own!
But there is a far more urgent argument for ditching many synthetic ingredients:
WHAT YOU DON'T WANT ON YOUR SKIN!
In our lifetimes we have been exposed to literally thousands more chemicals than our grandparents' generation ever were. The long-term effects of accumulating these chemicals in our bodies is little understood. But much research points to the increase in allergies, asthmas and some cancers as an indication.
Many chemicals that are banned in other countries, or from food, still find their way into beauty products in the UK.  Despite the fact that skin has an amazing ability to absorb things straight into the blood stream.
Even more ironically, many chemical skincare ingredients, such as petrolatum, propylene glycol and Sodium Lauryl Sulphates (SLS) can dry, irritate or age the skin, often the very reason why you bought the product in the first place.
Some of the most common chemical nasties include:
PROPYLENE GLYCOL. Used in anti-freeze, brake fluid, de-icer... and also some skin care products, including baby wipes.
 Known to cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, rashes, nausea and headaches.
PARABENS. Preservatives to extend the shelf-life of products. All products need some kind of preservative if they are to last more than a few days. Natural skincare products contain preservatives or parabens found in nature.
   But if your products’ ingredient list contains ‘methyl, propyl, butyl or ethyl’ parabens they are synthetic. They are known to cause various allergic reactions and skin irritations.
   There is growing concern about the link between parabens and cancer, as parabens are often found in cancerous tumours. But as parabens can also be found in foods and other sources, there is little conclusive evidence.
   There has been a lot written about parabens in deodorants recently. Some research points to a link between parabens and breast cancer. But it is worth noting that there is also research showing no conclusive link. Either way, the deodorants industry is slowly responding to these concerns and it is much easier to find deodorants free from parabens nowadays.
MINERAL OIL. This is the main ingredient in a lot of synthetic moisturisers and other beauty products. It is one of the byproducts when crude oil is refined. A similar product is ‘petrolatum’. It basically is supposed to lock in moisture in the skin, but it actually acts as cling film on the skin, preventing the skin’s natural ability to ‘breathe’, locking in toxins and preventing any good ingredients in the product from being absorbed.
 Natural products usually use a natural oil as a base such as almond oil, olive oil, shea butter, or pomegranate oil, which all often other beauty enhancing benefit to the skin as well as moisturising.
SODIUM LAURYL SULPHATE (SLS.)This is found in many shampoos, shower gels and toothpaste and acts as a foaming agent. It dissolves any grease on the skin and so can cause skin drying. Sometimes products contain a similar ingredient, Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) which is slightly less irritating to the skin but may cause more drying. One of its most worrying side-effects is it can mimic oestrogen and can be absorbed into the body via the skin. There are concerns this can cause more serious health implications such as female cancers.
 
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