So you’ve heard it’s good to eat organic food, but what about organic beauty products and makeup? Is it really beneficial to go organic or is it all just hype?
The fact is that conventional cosmetics may contain damaging chemicals. This is convenient for product makers; if your skin stays bad, you’ll keep buying their product to cover it up!
However, organic beauty products can help your skin naturally look better. There are plenty of other reasons to buy organic beauty products too; they’re more environmentally friendly, and they’re often opposed to animal testing or even 100% vegan.
If you’re not sure if you should use organic beauty products or not, just consider what some of the chemicals in conventional beauty products do. Formaldehydes, for instance, can cause skin irritation, as can parabens, which are found in around 99% of beauty products. Keratolytic chemicals, found in skin peels, actually damage your skin and make it more sensitive to UV rays. Aluminum, used in deodorant, is thought to contribute to Alzheimer’s. DEA, MEA, and TEA, found in several types of personal care products, cause allergic reactions and dry out skin and hair.
These are just a handful of the known irritants that are commonly used in beauty products; many more hurt your skin and eyes and can trigger allergies. Why not stick to natural products you know won’t be harmful?
In contrast, many organic products use the highest quality ingredients, and are less likely to damage your skin or cause allergies. Start out by switching to organic hair care products and lotions, but be careful; it’s important to read labels and make sure you know what you’re really getting. The bottle might say it’s pure cocoa butter, but reading the label will reveal the real story: sure, it has cocoa butter, but it’s also chock full of parabens and petroleum by-products.
Next, if you love makeup, try some of the many wonderful organic brands available. Physician’s Formula has a line dedicated to using organic ingredients, and you can pick it up at your local drugstore. Sephora carries hundreds of organic beauty products, especially makeup.
For other beauty products, why not make your own? Choose some organic almond oil, a great-smelling essential oil and pure sea salt for a homemade salt scrub. Lotions can be made with organic oils and cocoa butter bought at the local health food store.
Finally, be aware of greenwashing! Just because a product is in recycled packaging, is made in the USA, or has soothing images of soft, green foliage on it doesn’t mean that product is good for your skin or free of harmful chemicals. Manufacturers have been quickly catching on to the green and organic movements and packaging their regular products to look environmentally-friendly.
Read packages, and look for statements like “paraben-free” or “made with organic ingredients.” Enjoy!
