From the Earth or From a Test Tube?
Why Mother Nature is the Best Scientist with the Best Laboratory, Creating Wonderful Ingredients for Your Skin
One of the arguments we often hear against the use of organic beauty products is that they lack the strength of traditional cosmetic products. People worry that they can’t penetrate the skin in the same way, that they won’t minimize wrinkles, and that they lose their potency more quickly.
None of this is true. Mother Nature has had a long time to get things right. Hers is the largest, most established, and most effective laboratory in the world, harvesting ingredients that are pure, natural, and which spring from the soil rather than a test tube. Used effectively, her wisdom can be harnessed for the lasting benefit of our skin.
The same cannot be said of many ‘traditional’ cosmetic products. One glance at the ingredients list on the back of a package will tell you why. Look closely and you will see listed wholly synthetic ingredients that have been formulated in a test tube. These might include Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (commonly used in shampoos, as well as in garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers), DMDM Hydantoin (just one of many preservatives that release formaldehyde into your skin), and triclosan (a synthetic antibacterial ingredient found in many antibacterial soaps and lotions and so toxic that it is measured in parts per trillion).
Sounds bad, right? Well, it is. And this barely scratches the surface. Even something as harmless sounding as mineral oil has its dangers. Often the key ingredient in baby oils, mineral oil is a petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, inhibiting its ability to eliminate toxins and fight off irritations and other skin disorders.
Of course, you’re not going to hear about this from major beauty and personal care companies. They are in the business of maximising their margins and these synthetic ingredients are easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
In the end, it’s up to you. If you want to minimize your chances of suffering from one of the ever-increasing list of ailments that beset our modern society, then one important step you can take is to keep a wary eye on the ingredients listed on your beauty packaging.
Alternatively, you can look for lines that are certified organic. One of our core missions at The Organic Skin Co. is to offer you products that not only smell and feel great, but which are good for you. Thus, when we design our formulations, we always have in mind the therapeutic qualities of the ingredients we choose.
We’re privileged to work with the very best ingredients that nature has to offer, and we’re acutely conscious that our formulations should make best use of them. Luckily, our supercritical CO2 extraction process allows us to get maximum benefits from the plants we use.
Numbered amongst these plants are organic aloe vera, which has soothing, emollient and antibacterial properties to help heal skin disturbances and promote new skin growth. Other ingredients, like calendula and turmeric, have plant-based antioxidants that protect the body against cell damaging free radicals. For this reason, both calendula and turmeric are ideal agents to help treat lacerations, abrasions, skin irritations, and insect bites - or simply to soothe dry, tired skin - and it’s why we feature them in products as diverse as Task Force Nine, Turmeric and Calendula Calming Cream, Soothe Operator, Turmeric and Calendula Balm, and The Good Oil, Honeysuckle and Turmeric Face Oil.
Worried about wrinkles? Then look no further than pomegranate seed extract. Pomegranate is highly recommended for use in anti-aging formulations, and formulations for dry, irritated, or chapped skin. High in antioxidants such as polyphenol, it can help promote skin regeneration, stimulate self-repair mechanisms, improve skin elasticity, and reduce wrinkles. It’s a real favourite of ours, and we feature it in our organic cleanser, Clean Slate, Fruit Acid Complex Cleanser, as well as in our popular daily moisturizer, Daily Rituals, Sea Buckthorn and Rosehip Moisturizer, and our skin-loving, tinted moisturizer and primer, Primp N’ Prime, Amla and Pomegranate Primer.
Other ingredients, like natural Vitamin E, work brilliantly as natural preservatives. Properly formulated, an organic skincare product will last a minimum of eighteen months on your bathroom shelf (although we always recommend using within 6 months of opening, to enjoy the full aromatic profile of the product!).
Impressively, this is only the tip of a large and bountiful iceberg. Mother Nature has proven herself a wonderful manufacturer. Make use of her lovingly curated ingredients and you will be doing not only your skin a favor, but also your general wellbeing.
