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What does 'natural' beauty really mean?
Are you confused by the wealth of so-called 'natural' beauty products on the market? Read on
These days, consumers are becoming more aware of how easily chemicals can be absorbed through the skin and some of them may be responsible for serious health problems. Ironically, many of the products that we use every day on our skin and hair contain harsh synthetic substances. While some of these substances' effects are unknown, others are known to be toxic. So it makes sense to use natural personal care products.
Going natural
Going natural, however, is not quite as easy as it seems because there is no clear definition of 'natural'. Although many manufacturers may use the term on their product labels, this doesn't necessarily guarantee as much as you might think. A product may boast that it is 'natural' simply because it contains one or more plant-derived ingredients. However, this is often in addition to the synthetic substances in its base formula. Hypoallergenic products are often no closer to 'natural' either. Their label only means that the manufacturer believes the product to have less chance of causing allergic reactions than other products. Because there are no regulatory standards for this claim, it often only indicates that the manufacturer has left out a problem-causing ingredient. Similarly, products claiming to have been allergy-tested, dermatologist-tested or sensitivity-tested carry no guarantee that they will not produce an adverse reaction.
Green cosmetics
If you want to be totally sure that your cosmetics are botanically based, you could look for 'green' cosmetics. This trend, which originated in Europe, has been growing steadily in the cosmetic industry over the last 20 years. The 'green' label is not just a marketing ploy but is used within the industry to denote cosmetics that are more natural than 'natural'. In other words, products which contain no mineral oils, synthetic substances, synthetic preservatives or dyes. Again, there are no regulatory standards for 'green' cosmetics, other than those set by the members of the industry themselves.
So how can you tell which products are really natural? The only way to be sure is to check the ingredients and, of course, you need to know what you're looking for. Here's a rundown of some of the most common synthetic ingredients and their truly natural replacements.
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