Natural Organic Skin Care Products-Why We Must Make The Change

By now, most of us are aware of the benefits of consuming wholesome organic foods. No genetically modified ingredients, no preservatives that cause various health concerns and most importantly fewer toxins.

Choosing natural organic skin care products brings the same advantages, with naturally effective treatments for skin, hair and body that feel great, smell great and most often cost less than skin care products you my be purchasing from the beauty counter. Purchasing a bottle of organic skin cream can often replace several of the products you are using now.

My quest for natural skin products began in my early thirties. I was and still am a sun worshipper (gotta have that vitamin D) and the stress was taking a toll on my skin. While visiting my sister in Austin, I discovered the Origins skin care line. It was displayed openly, had a natural green packaging, and the smell was something I never experienced before. I was hooked.

A few years later, I made the switch to an even more natural skin product, one that is botanically based called Arbonne and my skin improved even more. After experiencing “somewhat” natural skin products, I knew that it could only get better. I was right. Lots of late night google searches, and several books later, I found literally hundreds of alternative skin care products…products that are all natural, can easily be ordered on line and can do wonders for your skin.

Why purchase skin care products that contain harsh chemicals, do more damage to your skin long term, and cost a fortune when you can buy natural skin products that truly work miracles?

Get your skin back to normal with the purchase of natural skin products. You will be shocked at the improvement.

What you must know about the chemicals in your beauty care products.

One of the reasons for this blog is to educate the public about the nasty chemicals found in beauty care products. More details can be found in my article How Dangerous Are Your Personal Care Products.  After using all natural organic skin care products, I am amazed by the transformation of my skin. The crease between my brow has all but disappeared, the fine lines above my mouth have been minimized, not once have I had a break out, and my skin is softer than ever. I truly believe that the chemicals found in most beauty products, along with poor diet are the root cause of many skin irritations.

The biggest culprit, the parabens: methylparaben, ethylparapben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and isobutylparaben are listed on thousands of beauty care products including your favorite skin care creams, shampoos, makeup and body lotions.

Over the last several years there has been much debate among scientists, cosmetic manufacturers and the so called product safety regulators regarding these chemicals that have been used for decades and whether or not they are harmful to our health.

Could the rising incidence of breast cancer be linked to parabens which have been found in breast cancer tumors and can be isolated from other body tissue?

Could the decline in sperm count and rising rates of testicular cancer be related to the fact that these parabens can be absorbed into our skin?

We may never know for sure in our lifetime however I personally believe that someday children will be saying to their parents “You actually used beauty care products with dangerous chemicals in them?”

One thing we do know however is that in one recent Danish study parabens were detected in the blood and urine of healthy young males a few hours after lotions were applied to the skin. The study concluded that since these chemicals could be absorbed, metabolized and excreted, they could potentially cause negative health effects.

Did you know?

99% of the 14,228 skin care and cosmetic products on the market have never been evaluated for safety by the FDA.

74% of all personal care products on the market according to chemical industry databases contain:

Carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals),
Teratogens (causing birth defects),
Reproductive toxins (male & female infertility),
Developmental toxins (hazardous to unborn children)
Skin/sense organ toxicants (causing skin disease and rashes)
Allergenic toxicants (causing allergies)
Mutagens (causing cells to mutate)

57% of all skin care products contain “penetration enhancer” chemicals like Propylene Glycol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate that drive down deep through the layers of skin and can enter the blood stream.

Source: EWG; http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep2/findings/index.php

Unfortunately for us, the FDA considers these ingredients to be safe based on the current levels found in beauty products. Individually maybe, but what about the other six products you use on a daily basis? What about the safety of our teenagers who use an insane number of these products each and every day?

The US Environmental Working Group are more concerned with the cumulative impact of using many products together and daily for so many years.

It’s definitely a challenge to develop products without parabens, and other nasty chemicals used to preserve products, however there are many companies who have already accomplished this. Companies offering natural organic skin care products. Companies that are willing to sacrifice advertising for a far superior skin care line. Companies that are well aware of the growing consumer interest and need for all natural skin products.

So, What Are Natural Organic Skin Care Products Anyway?

For me, the term natural should mean nontoxic, cruelty-free and environmentally safe. They should be safe for us to use, safe for our environment and safe for animals.

Truly natural organic skin care products are made from plants, minerals, and animal derived ingredients, rather than from synthetic compounds or petrochemicals. All products must contain only 100% beneficial ingredients that cleanse and purify your skin and hair. Unfortunately, many manufacturers of skin care products can claim their products are natural when in reality they contain mostly chemical ingredients.

Read more about these organic cheaters here.

BDIH is the Association of German Industries and Trading Firms for pharmaceuticals, health care products, food supplements and personal hygiene products. The BDIH has developed a strict set of rules to use when determining a product “natural” and cosmetic producers must adhere to these guidelines in order to display the Certified Natural Seal.

The producers of natural skin products marked with the BDIH “Certified Natural Cosmetics” seal use natural raw material such as plant oils, fats and waxes, herbal extracts and essential oils and aromatic materials from controlled biological cultivation or controlled biological wild collection.

Some companies you may have heard of are Weleda, Lavera, and Aubrey Organics.

Most everyone agrees on one thing when it comes to natural organic skin care products. The purer, the better. Many experts believe that because organic products are made up of natural ingredients, they are better at supporting the skins natural process of cell renewal, hydration, and protection.

For those with skin conditions such as acne, eczema or psoriasis, natural organic skin care is most important because these products do not contain chemicals that irritate and cause reactions.

Remember this: you can see the word “natural” listed on many skin care products however it doesn’t mean that the product is truly natural and non-toxic. Take a closer look at the ingredients. A closer look reveals that they contain the same old toxic ingredients only they used a small amount of a natural product just to confuse the consumer.

In 2002, the USDA created a seal in order to identify true organic products. The “USDA Organic” seal, is used for food, beverages, cosmetics and personal care products that are truly organic. The products must contain 95% organic content.

Due to lax regulation, many personal care products have the word “organic” in their brand name or on their product label, but unless they are USDA certified organic, the main cleansing ingredients and preservatives are usually made with synthetic and petrochemical compounds.

This is why it is recommended that consumers look for the USDA certified organic seal on personal care products that claim to be organic.

You can find many companies that offer some if not all USDA organic certified skin care including Terressentials, Aubrey, Juice Beauty, Mercola, Beeceuticals, Miessence, and Organic Essence.

Download a free safety guide to personal care products from ACO.