How do you know when skincare is truly natural?
Lets start with a definition
Dictionary :existing in or derived from nature; not made or caused by humankind:
Thesaurus: unprocessed, organic, pure, wholesome, unrefined, pesticide-free, chemical-free, additive-free, unbleached, unmixed, real, plain, virgin, crude, raw.
To look at these meanings, to claim natural skin care in the truest sense would be difficult.
However, in the natural spirit of things there are interpretations and claims that are loosely made at times in marketing speak. It has become known as greenwashing! That’s right, marketing language that incorporates words that implies natural and organic, but if you dive deeper into the ingredient list, there can be a few unpleasant surprises.
Keeping it real
It has been a very interesting and challenging journey to formulate and create skincare that is as non toxic as possible, to humans and the environment.
There are many choices for the raw ingredients you use and they can all look good on a label, but their quality can vary greatly. For example , is the shea butter refined and how is it refined? Heat and hexane can be used which diminishes the bioactive fat soluble vitamins by up to 75%, and this is true for all butters and oils. For this reason, I chose to use raw, unprocessed and organic butters and oils.
This brought me to my second challenge! How do you keep the natural goodness in, if you have to heat the oils and butters to mix with the water phase to make creams and lotions.
Cold processing was the answer and a term that is used in raw food preparation where the ingredients are not heated above 45 degrees celsius, and in addition the more heat sensitive ingredients like Vit E and Rosehip, Sea buckthorn and essential oils are added at the end at even lower temperatures. This is called the cool down phase.
This takes careful timing and keeping a close eye on the whole manufacturing process.
However, the results are worth it!
What's in a name?
Ingredient lists on labels can be long and difficult to decipher but there are a few chemical groups you can look out for.
Fragrance: Parfum: unknown ingredients. Trade secret therefore don’t have to disclose.
Parabens Endocrine disruption and reproductive harm, plus
Types of Parabens
Cosmetics typically contain mixtures of different types of parabens.
The most commonly used six types are methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, isopropyl-, butyl- and isobutylparaben. The so-called shorter-chain parabens, methyl- and ethyl-, are commonly used in combination, whereas butylparaben is often used alone. The longer-chain parabens, propyl- and butyl-, are linked to stronger oestrogenic activity (Blair 2000 and Vo 2010). The branched structure has been shown to increase oestrogenic activity as well as sensitisation potency (Darbre 2002 and Sonnenburg 2015). Ewg.org
Formaldehyde: used as a preservative. Known carcinogen. Mostly banned in cosmetics and personal care but has been allowed at minute concentrations in some products, so still something to keep an eye on.
Triclosan: has been banned from hand soap, but not other body products , known Hormone disrupter.
So, I guess you are choosing natural for your health and the environment.
There are many watch dogs emerging in the personal care space, like EWG , ECOCERT and COSMOS so these are good names to look out for on product labels. EWG is a research organisation where you can look up ingredients to find out more.
In conclusion, natural skin care to me , is as close to nature as possible, does no harm to humans, animals and the environment. It has a natural feel when you use it and it adds health to your body.
These are the guiding principles in our formulations so you can feel good, and smell amazing using our products for your health and wellbeing.
Ruth Carey
Founder My Urth
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