Natural Skincare 101
When looking at skincare products, the shelves at stores are full of them; and the words natural and clean make an appearance combined with a hefty price tag. What does natural even mean though? As a consumer, it’s confusing to see all of these terms being used, without anyone explicitly saying what they mean by it. That’s why we want to be as transparent as possible with you and explain what it means, and how we use the word to describe our products.
Definition of Natural
Some people purchase natural skincare or cosmetic products, thinking that they are purchasing something only containing ingredients that can be found in nature aka natural. They are then often surprised when they see that there are still chemical ingredients with unpronounceable words listed on the ingredient list. Why is that?
The term “natural” in reference to skincare has no legal definition. There is no one in the cosmetic industry regulating the term or the products. This means that any company can claim they are a natural skincare company or brand and have little to no natural ingredients in them. So what do people mean when they say they create or sell “natural” skincare products?
“Natural” can have several definitions and meanings. Some mean that they choose to exclude a large number of chemical ingredients that are known to irritate the skin. Others choose to use high-quality ingredients that are processed minimally.
What to consider when choosing natural skincare?
To make an informed decision, two things are necessary: that you conduct research on the brand or products you’re looking to purchase, and that you set standards for yourself on what you’re looking for. Natural can refer to the ingredient sourcing process, as in are the ingredients derived from items you can find in nature like herbs, roots, etc. The other option is that natural can refer to the processing of those ingredients, or to what extent these ingredients are altered from their natural state.
Degrees of Natural
There are different levels of natural based on the fact that it can differ in processing and ingredient sourcing. Natural could refer to naturally-occurring ingredients, naturally-derived and physically-processed, naturally-derived and chemically processed, nature-identical, and synthetic. There are many different meanings to natural and it’s important to understand that there’s no simple answer to if something is natural or not, otherwise one is quickly disappointed and disillusioned.
Your Decision
You must set standards for yourself. You must make a decision as to what is important to you. Do you mostly care that the ingredients come from natural sources and are recognizable on the ingredient label? Or do you care about how much synthetic or chemical processing each ingredient undergoes? Whatever your answer is, it’s a personal one and there is no right or wrong answer - just the right answer for you.
Potion Organics
At Potion Organics we offer natural skincare products focusing on using natural, naturally derived and organic ingredients whenever possible. We stay away from synthetic ingredients as much as we can, and we pride ourselves on using Cosmos and Ecocert-approved ingredients ONLY. Feel safe and like your skin is in good hands, when shopping with us - your skin and nature will thank us!