Recently, the skincare industry has adapted to embrace natural beauty – beauty products that are free of any additives, synthetic elements, dyes, and perfume and are both good for our skin and the environment. It may seem inconceivable that there ever were skincare products that posed a risk to health or the environment, yet in the past, the shelves of supermarkets were full of items such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, talcum powder, moisturizers, and creams containing parabens, a type of preservative which can increase the risk of cancer, as well as exfoliants which can be detrimental to fish and marine life in our oceans and rivers.
Consumer interest in natural beauty is increasing, and savvy shoppers are actively searching for products with labels such as vegan, organic, clean, and fair-trade beauty.
Vegan products are not tested on animals and do not include any animal-derived components.
A beauty product created from natural elements, free from any kinds of synthetic or artificial ingredients, and containing extracts from plants.
Beauty products are made up of natural components such as vegetation and blooms grown with no artificial fertilizers or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Beauty is made with ingredients that have been obtained in an ethical manner and can either be natural or artificial, but are harmless to the body and therefore cause no irritation or disrupt the system. The spotlight is on elements that have been lab checked and attested to be free from danger by a detached third party. These ingredients do not contain essential oils, silicones, dehydrating alcohols, sodium lauryl sulfate, chemical sunscreens, as well as fragrances and colors.
Products certified as Fairtrade have been verified by an outside organization to have provided their workers with fair pay and decent working conditions. They will not take on any minors and only use sustainable elements with no unfavorable consequences on the neighborhood. It is critical in underdeveloped countries where immoral companies exploit children for labor, paying them minimal salaries. Many brands nowadays have products that benefit the local economy, such as a bath bomb featuring an ingredient from a particular area that will help fund an entire village in Nicaragua.
Why Use Natural Beauty Products?
Health Benefits
The potential positive ramifications of resorting to natural beauty products could be high, as court cases have been opened up in the US that allege a link between cancer and parabens and other artificial components.
Moral Benefits
Many individuals choose to go for skincare products that do not carry a strong feeling of guilt, such as those which have not been tested on animals or have been responsible for damaging natural rainforest areas. However, the ultimate decision rests with the consumer.
How to Embrace Natural Beauty
Natural Beauty Tips
Adapt the amount of analysis you do to the amount of attention the product will receive. If you use a body lotion that you leave to stay on your skin all day, you need to be especially careful in making sure that it doesn’t contain any of the undesirable ingredients listed before. You are getting a higher amount of exposure to the ingredients in the lotion than if they were in a facial cleanser that gets washed off right away.
If you are making a purchase through the internet, you should still have access to the list of ingredients in the item. Refrain from using any website that does not provide you with an extensive list of ingredients, and instead, purchase from a vendor that is fully open and honest with their customers.
To find out more about the security of substances used in skincare items, the Environmental Working Group (found at www.ewg.org/skindeep) has put together an online list of ingredients and their known level of toxicity. Take note that a low hazard rating of any element may not suggest it is secure but could just imply there are no scientific findings on that constituent yet.
How to Enhance Natural Beauty
Beauty is more than skin deep. A cheerful expression is much more attractive than a frown, and the best way to look after oneself is to think of beauty holistically, considering both what we eat and consume, as well as what we apply to our skin externally. Try to get a good night’s rest by sleeping for eight hours, adding antioxidant-containing fruits and vegetables to your meals, consuming a lot of water, making sure to set aside time to exercise every day, and using methods to keep stress levels low.
Invest in organic skincare that will maintain the acid-base ratio of the skin and ignore the idea of different skin types, and you will have a healthy, luminous complexion with fewer wrinkles and creases.
How to Maintain Natural Beauty
Adopting a daily skin care regimen twice a day using a kind scrubber and an oil with natural extracts from plants brings excellent results.
Supplements
By ingesting a great supplement on a regular basis, you can not only enhance the look of your skin, hair, and nails, but you can also decrease fatigue and free radical damage. This can save you money since you won’t need to buy expensive skin care products to hide the signs of fatigue and poor dietary habits.
Unnatural Ingredients to Avoid
It is imperative to emphasize that several skincare components are able to seep into the skin, eventually reaching the bloodstream and other body tissues. We need to reconsider our view of skincare products. If we consider what we wouldn’t think twice about putting in our mouth, we should also think twice about putting on our skin.
Regulations for substances used in skincare products are based on the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) system. This policy sets forth the same scientific terminology for more than 16,000 ingredients in countries around the globe, such as the United States, the European Union, China, and Japan. The purpose of INCI is to be transparent and give shoppers the ability to compare elements between items. No matter what brand, product or origin country, coconut oil will always be identified as cocos nucifera.
Recently, skincare businesses have been adding the ordinary name of the component in parentheses after the INCI term in order to reinforce more openness and confidence in the natural tendency of their items. The explanation for Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) is usually noted in parentheses. We should pay careful attention to the ingredients without an understandable, well-known definition listed after them in the INCI name.
Most people only look at promotional materials for skincare products and do not read the often confusing list of ingredients. We should be careful when checking out the ingredients list because this is where the most detrimental components could be listed. If we stop to look at the ingredients, what should set off warning signals?
Can we determine which ingredients are the worst offenders in beauty products, such as parabens (associated with breast cancer), talc (known carcinogen usually containing asbestos), lead acetate (a poisonous compound and carcinogen), and coal tar (certified carcinogen which increases skin irritation)? What other additives are currently considered the most hazardous?
Ingredients To Avoid In Skincare
Using certain components in beauty products can have both short-term and long-term adverse results on a person’s wellbeing. Short-term effects of multiple components can cause sensitivity reactions or allergic reactions such as painful itching, puffiness, or skin breakouts. For many components, large groups of people are prone to having allergic reactions.
For extended amounts of time, substances that are poisonous in skincare products can lead to cancer, or interfere with the endocrine, neurological, and immunological systems, as well as harming essential organs and reproductive wellness. Bypassing hazardous components guarantees that you can obtain the good looks and well-being that you desire, with no compromise to your health.
Top Chemicals to Avoid in Skincare
Coal-powered industries are not just damaging to the environment and a contributing factor to global warming, but they also produce coal tar, an extremely toxic material that should be avoided in all skincare products. Coal tar contains several cancer-causing agents, some of which have been related to skin cancer and can also result in ongoing and permanently disabling neurological damage.
Siloxane should be given utmost consideration when evaluating the ingredients of skin care products, for it can have a considerable adverse effect on the reproductive system- impacting the fertility of humans and interrupting the natural hormonal balance. This poison can also interfere with the functioning of the nervous system and build up within the body, resulting in harm that persists over time and increases in severity.
EDTA, also known as Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid, should be avoided in skincare since its goal is to go through the skin’s protective layer. This action detrimentally opens the door for additional chemicals to be included in skincare products, enabling them to go around your body’s defensive barrier. This chemical is highly intrusive, which can affect your cellular wellness, and is frequently responsible for causing skin irritation.
Now we will examine an extensive list of components that should not be included in skincare products.
1. Benzalkonium Chloride
What is Benzalkonium Chloride?
Often seen in domestic cleaning products, this dangerous additive to keep away from in beauty treatments is a preservative and germ-killing chemical. The principal purpose of using it in cosmetics is to avert them from going bad, though people are now beginning to acknowledge its possibly detrimental consequences.
What types of skin care products contain Benzalkonium Chloride?
This element is present in numerous cleansing agents, sanitizers, and toiletries such as nourishing creams, face balms, and cosmetics removers.
Potential Health Risks:
The skin can take in Benzalkonium Chloride, which can cause discomfort. Over the long term, repeated exposure can cause dermatitis.
2. Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) & Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
What are BHAs & BHTs?
Synthetic antioxidants applicable to food and cosmetic preservation should steer clear of skincare routines, especially when found in lipsticks or other cosmetics.
What types of skin care products contain BHAs & BHTs?
BHAs and BHTs are generally included in beauty items like makeup, sunscreen, creams, and moisturizers that are applied directly to the skin.
Potential Health Risks:
These poisonous parts within beauty products might lead to cancer and can also affect hormones, damage organs such as the kidneys and liver, and also create thyroid issues. Lesser issues include fatigue, headaches, hives, and rashes.
3. Chemical UV Filters (Octinoxate & Oxybenzone)
What are Chemical UV Filters?
The purpose of these hazardous components in skincare items is to utilize chemical filters that can absorb Ultraviolet radiation, thus shielding your skin from sunburn.
What types of skin care products contain Chemical UV Filters?
These chemicals can be located in many types of sunblock or sun cream, but they are most common in sunscreens that come in the form of an aerosol spray.
Potential Health Risks:
An examination of the data suggests that these components are commonly taken in through the skin and into the bloodstream to a great extent, and even after only one application. The adverse effects of these chemicals can remain in your bloodstream for as much as three weeks after they are applied topically. Stay away from any products containing these chemicals as they have been connected to hormonal imbalances, impairment of reproductive health and fertility, and potential damage to brain development.
4. Coal Tar
What is Coal Tar?
The waste created from burning coal produces a dark brown-black liquid that is thick in consistency. Skincare products that contain its properties help to facilitate the process of removing dead skin cells while reducing the emergence of new cells.
What types of skin care products contain Coal Tar?
Coal Tar is utilized in medicinal ointments to soothe itching, eliminating the shedding and peeling associated with skin conditions such as psoriasis or dermatitis. This element can be discovered in shampoos created to restore scalps, as well as soaps and moisturisers.
Potential Health Risks:
Coal tar is an intricate blend of substances that contain several hazardous substances that are known to cause cancer, along with substances from categories known to be associated with cancer. Studies have demonstrated that contact with coal tar chemicals is toxic to the body and can lead to skin cancer. These substances can likewise lead to neurological destruction related to temper swings, modifications in circadian rhythm, and impaired coordination.
5. Ethanolamine Compounds (MEA, DEA, TEA)
What are Ethanolamine Compounds?
These substances belong to a chemical class that is used to produce perfumes, adjust the acidity, and assist ingredients in blending correctly. They are common in many consumer products.
What types of skin care products contain Ethanolamine Compounds?
Ethanolamines are quite frequently encountered in items of personal care such as cleansers, shaving foams, shampoos, and leave-in conditioners. They are also contained in skin creams, cosmetics, foundations, and sunblocks.
Potential Health Risks:
When combined with other usual chemicals, these compounds have the potential to cause cancer, and in beauty products, they tend to mix with other components to create carcinogens which can be absorbed by the skin. These goods have the capability to interfere with the reproductive organs, as well as amassing in the body which results in harm to both the kidney and liver.
6. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA)
What are EDTAs?
EDTAs are frequently used additives that inhibit the multiplication of bacteria, fungi, and yeast. They also contribute to the production of bubbles and suds and soften hard water residue on your scalp and skin when using beauty products.
What types of skin care products contain EDTAs?
Beware of the following substances that are often found in soaps and cleansers for skin care.
Potential Health Risks:
The primary explanation for avoiding these additives in skincare is that they are intended to enable other ingredients to get through your skin’s protective barrier, potentially allowing in potentially hazardous components. It is possible that they could affect cell well-being, fertility, and skin inflammation.
7. Synthetic Fragrance or Parfum
What are synthetic fragrances or parfums?
Synthetic fragrances are not derived from nature but can be composed of a combination of both organic and artificial components. The main objective of these elements is to ensure products remain fragrant for a considerably longer period than natural odors, which is typically twice as long.
What types of skin care products contain synthetic fragrances or parfums?
An assortment of skincare items has been given a scent with fragrances, ranging from moisturizers to creams.
Potential Health Risks:
If you have an aversion to certain smells, you should be aware of the hazardous components often found in skincare items and make sure to refrain from purchasing them. A lot of the core components of fragrances tend to lead to redness, illness, and other skin issues.
