The truth benefits of organic skincare products
From your coffee to your T-shirts, everyone is trying to convince you how their product is more organic or natural, ergo better, than the rest.
But when it comes to skincare, just how much of the "organic" hype should be believed?
The amount of chemicals we apply to our skin on a daily basis is something that concerns many of us. And, like in the case of antibacterial soaps, there does seem to be a steadily growing case that maybe they aren't so great for us after all.
So, it's no wonder that many of us are turning to products that claim ingredients only "found in nature".
Wholefood, whole-skin
Irene Falcone, organic skincare guru and founder of Nourished Life, says the push towards organic skincare is a natural progression of the healthy food movement.
"As people are becoming more conscious about what they are putting into their bodies, naturally this extends to what they are putting onto their bodies," she tells Fairfax.
"Organic personal care products really are an extension of the organic and whole food movement, if we remember back to when artificial colours and flavours being removed from food, removing them from beauty and skincare products is the next logical step."
Often accompanied with the promise of containing no apparent "nasties" or "toxic" ingredients – things like parabens, sulphates, phthalates and mineral oil and the like – organic skincare in favours nicer sounding ingredients like rosehip and almond oil.
But are these alternatives any better than your standard cleanser and moisturiser or is it all just another version of "bottled water"?
Short answer is yes – to both these questions.
“Organic” defined
According to Sydney-based dermatologist and spokesperson for the Australasian College of Dermatologists Dr Natasha Cook, the main issue in the debate about natural or organic skincare is how these terms are applied.
"There really isn't a debate about whether natural is better," she tells Fairfax.
"The periodic table is natural; these are chemicals found in nature and they're the same chemicals that some companies will tell you are bad for you so it can get confusing when consumers are confronted with information that pushes a “natural” and “organic” is best philosophy."
One of the biggest names in the beauty industry, the founder of Paula's Choice, Paula Begoun, argues against the idea that organic is better than "synthetic" skincare, primarily because organic products tend to be heavily laced with volatile and fragrant essential oils such as peppermint, lavender and orange.
However, Begoun also believes that the parfums found in many over the counter products are equally as bad for the skin and that good skincare should be completely fragrance-free.
Have you been buying “organic” make-up since the trend toward whole-foods started? Let us know in the comments below.
Written by Benjamen Judd. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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