A Guide to Organic Skin Care

By Jerre Bates

Organic has now progressed from foods and beverages to skin care products. It seems we now want to feed our skin with essential nutrients just like we do our bodies when we eat organic foods. We want effectiveness in creating beautiful, healthy and younger-looking skin, without any adverse side-effects.

It is not possible for every ingredient in organic skincare products to be totally natural or totally organic in the sense that they have not been processed in any way. Most ingredients should be derived from plants and naturally processed to enhance their effectiveness. And every ingredient used should be safe enough to ingest without harmful effects, especially for those who have sensitive skin need to be even more careful of their purchases.

It is hard to know what organic skin care products to choose with all the options out there that claim to be organic or natural. And there seems to be more and more all the time.

What is organic exactly? Organic refers to the way products are grown and processed. It includes a system of production, processing, distribution and sales that assures consumers that the products maintain the organic integrity.

You want to look for a product that has no harmful chemicals or allergens and has no fragrances in them. Fragrances are usually added to make an inferior product smell better. It is better to concentrate instead on making the underlying product as effective so we don’t need to disguise its poor quality with fragrances. When you smell a good natural or organic skin care product, you will just detect a faint, natural vegetable oil and nothing else.

On the side of caution it is wise to exclude parabens, and any other ingredient that has a question-mark over its safety.

Parabens, also known as hydroxybenxoate, is an antioxidant used in food preservation and also used as a preservative in pharmaceutical preparations. A huge percentage of the products you buy for everyday use contain some form of parabens, so it can be difficult to find products that do not have parabens in them. Parabens can mimic the hormone estrogen, which is known to play a role in the development of breast cancers. Do you want to take any chance that they just might do so?

Cherish your skin and nourish it with the most effective, natural and the safest organic skin care products possible.

Jerre is a consumer researcher of natural skin care products and supplements.