Why Should You Choose Natural Skin Care Products?
Although natural refers to ingredients that are not produced in a laboratory and instead come from sources such as plants, it is actually a rather vague term. After all, there are many natural elements you don't want to put on your face. For example, poison ivy is natural, but it is not a skin care ingredient. Moreover, there are no established international standards for these products, and no regulatory agency requires companies that produce these products to prove that they are as clean or natural as they say they are. So what actually is natural and why should you choose natural skin care products? As Evla experts, we discussed natural skin care products.
What Does Natural Skin Care Product Mean?
Although when you think of natural you think of ingredients found in nature, many products that call themselves "natural" also use other terminology that can help you get to the heart of the matter. Before moving on to this terminology, it may be useful to clarify what natural means in our country.
According to the guide of the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency, natural substance; It refers to substances of plant, inorganic, mineral or animal origin and their mixtures with each other or the resulting reaction products. A natural cosmetic product indicates that at least 95% of its ingredients are natural and that the naturalness requirements of the product content are met. In addition, natural cosmetic ingredients refer to compositions obtained from raw materials found in nature according to natural processing criteria. In short, in order to call a product natural in our country, it can be understood that only naturally sourced substances or mixtures are used in this product. However, at this point, it should be taken into consideration that preservatives and synthetic modified substances of natural origin, which are among the excipients used in the formulations of the products, are excluded. In other words, to obtain natural products, animal and vegetable oils and extraction agents derived from them such as glycerin, carbon dioxide, water, honey, and vegetable-derived ethanol can be used. As preservatives, benzyl alcohol, benzoic acid, dehydroacetic acid and its salts, formic acid and formic acid sodium, propionic acid and its salts, salicylic acid and its salts, sorbic acid and its salts can be used. Because these are known as nature-identical preservatives.
The terminology used in the products can be summarized as follows:
- Unscented: These products contain no natural or synthetic fragrances. However, unscented may in some cases mean that chemicals may have been added to cover up the odors of other ingredients.
- Hypoallergenic: This term means that a product is unlikely to cause allergic reactions. However, this does not mean that the product is completely reliable.
- Non-Toxic: This is a general term and is essentially a marketing term intended to convey the idea that a product is safe and “clean.”
- Organic: Organic products contain ingredients grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or other chemicals.
- Paraben-Free: Parabens, hormone-disrupting chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body, are used as preservatives in many skin care products and cosmetics. Paraben has been linked to health problems such as infertility and cancer.
- PFAS-Free: Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are hormone-disrupting chemicals that can affect your sleep, blood pressure, metabolism, and many other things.
- Phthalate-Free: Phthalates are hormone-disrupting chemicals that are sometimes used as solvents in skin care products and cosmetics. It is also associated with decreased sperm quality, among other concerns.
- Sulfate-Free: Sulfates, also known as surfactants, are chemicals that make products foam or foam.
Within the framework of the regulations in our country, it is clear that when a product is advertised as natural, this product must not contain chemical and synthetic components. There are many reasons to use natural skin care products instead of conventional ones due to their benefits, such as avoiding potentially harmful synthetic chemicals. These products can also be an environmentally friendly option.
What are the Benefits of Natural Skin Care?
Using plant extracts in skin care can turn these products into a rich source of vitamins, antioxidants, essential oils, hydrocolloids, proteins, terpenoids and bioactive compounds, according to a 2015 clinical review. According to the same review, products derived from natural plant extracts can be a safe and cost-effective alternative to synthetics. How natural skin care benefits different skin types can be listed as follows:
- Natural Skin Care Benefits for Oily Skin: For individuals with oily skin types, following natural skin care routines can offer an effective way to control oiliness levels without using expensive cosmetics or prescription medications. Natural skin care products can be very effective in relieving problems caused by oily skin and maintaining the skin's healthy balance.
- Natural Skin Care Benefits for Dry Skin: Itchy skin caused by dryness can be an irritating and frustrating condition. However, following a regular natural skin care routine for dry skin can offer an effective solution to relieve itching and maintain the skin's healthy moisture balance. Dry skin can often be affected by a variety of factors. Therefore, natural skin care routines focus on minimizing the negative effects of these factors.
- Natural Skin Care Benefits for Combination Skin: Caring for combination skin can often be a complicated process for many people who want to both combat dryness and control shine. However, by using natural skin care products, it is possible to control these two opposing conditions. Some cosmetic ingredients, such as fragrance, may irritate those with combination skin, and this can affect both dry and oily areas of the skin. Therefore, natural skin care products can be an ideal option to provide gentle and balanced care for individuals with combination skin.
- Natural Skin Care Benefits for Acne-Prone Skin: In addition to potentially saving you money, adopting a natural skin care routine for acne can also help skin deal with unwanted side effects like dryness, redness, and irritation. Acne is an inflammatory condition that occurs as a result of blockage of the skin's oil glands. Natural skin care products can help alleviate this condition and give skin a healthy glow.
- Natural Skin Care Benefits for Sensitive Skin: Adopting a natural skin care routine for sensitive skin can offer many benefits beyond avoiding products with irritating ingredients to help rebuild a healthy skin barrier. Sensitive skin may react more sensitively to external factors, and this may cause problems such as skin redness, itching and dryness. Therefore, natural skin products can offer an important solution for those with sensitive skin.
If you want to take a natural approach to your skin care routine, it's important to understand that every individual's skin is different and there is no universal one-size-fits-all solution. However, there are some general principles you should consider when switching to the natural approach. The first important point is that brands can use the term “natural” almost however they want. In this case, it is important to read the labels on cosmetic products and pay attention to the ingredients. The most reliable way to determine whether a product is natural is to examine the ingredient list and identify any potentially harmful chemicals.
In addition to reading labels, patch testing is also a critical step before completely committing to a new skin care product. Everyone's skin type is different, and what may provide positive results for one person may cause irritation for another person. Therefore, testing the product on a small area of your skin is important to anticipate allergic reactions.
Additionally, since the term "natural" has a broad meaning in skin care products, it's important to identify natural ingredients that suit your specific needs. For example, if you have dry skin, you can choose products that contain oils with moisturizing properties. In conclusion, if you want to take a natural approach to skin care, you should focus on your individual needs, carefully examine brands' labels and check the compatibility of any product with your skin before you start using it.