Clean Beauty / Green Skincare, this is a hot topic that we are seeing a lot about at the moment.

It seems that ‘natural’ products have found their way into our consciousness as somehow better for us than synthetic ingredients or so-called ‘chemicals’.

The fact of the matter is that all ingredients are ‘chemicals’, some are naturally occurring plant chemicals and some are lab created chemicals.

Your skin does not care whether a chemical was made by a plant or a human, skin cells and sensitivities recognise chemical structure, not the way the chemical was made. The most important thing is using the correct ingredients for your skins requirements, in the correct concentrations.

I am all for green, when it comes to protecting the environment. On the other hand, I strongly dislike the commercial efforts to sell products by labelling them “green”. Hard as it is to believe, it is only required to have 1% natural ingredients in a product to label it ‘natural’, so the word is of no practical meaning as regards your skincare products. If preservatives were not added most would have a shelf life of no more than a week! It is of more benefit to the environment to make sure that your product is responsibly packaged to reduce waste, whether you choose plant based or lab created products.

In any case, most products contain a blend of the two.

Natural is not always good: the most poisonous chemicals are natural. Would you want Poison Ivy in your moisturiser? I doubt it!

This might seem a little simplistic, but to me it is a simple subject.

  • Use ingredients your skin will recognise,
  • Use fragrance-free products
  • Use sustainably harvested ingredients,
  • Package responsibly,
  • Recycle your empties,
  • Switch to reusable makeup remover cloths over cotton wool or wipes,
  • Waterless (oil based) products are the greenest to make, switch your cleanser/cream to oil based

Where do you stand on the natural vs synthetic debate?

Have you bought ‘natural’ products only to see the ingredients label littered with synthetics?

Shop Skin Essentials skincare online HERE.