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If there is one cosmetics industry buzzword that gets almost immediate consumer attention, it's "natural." Whatever preconceived or media-induced fiction someone might believe about natural ingredients being better for the skin has no factual basis or scientific legitimacy. Not only is the definition of "natural" hazy, but the term isn't even regulated, so each cosmetics company can use it to mean whatever they want it to mean. "If a company wants to call their products natural, it can, and it doesn't matter what they contain. [The] FDA has tried to establish official definitions for the use of certain terms such as 'natural' but its regulations were overturned in court. So companies can use them on cosmetic labels to mean anything or nothing at all." (Source: FDA Consumer Magazine, August 2000).
In the world of skin care and makeup, the claims about all-natural products are either exaggerated because the products are laden with lots of unnatural ingredients, or the natural ingredients they do contain are problematic for the skin. Just because an ingredient grows out of the ground or is found in nature doesn't make it automatically good for skin, and the reverse is also true, just because it is synthetic doesn't make it bad. Yet there are many beneficial natural ingredients for skin, which makes the whole issue more confusing because consumers are often at a loss (or simply don't have the time) to determine which natural ingredients are helpful and which are harmful (and more products than I care to count contain a frustrating combination of both).
Fruits, vegetables, or any pure food ingredients are not necessarily the best for skin. When it comes to skin care, more often than not, it is some small element of the plant that has benefit for skin (that's why putting grapes or pomegranates directly on the skin never equals good skin care despite the fact they are excellent sources of antioxidants). Extracting the active, beneficial component from the plant almost always requires a process that is synthetically derived (such as obtaining epigallocatechin-3-gallate from green tea, or genistein from soy). Further, these extracts are far more stable than the whole food. Think about it this way: a plant in its pure form isn't stable in the least, especially in skin-care products. Just think of how long a head of lettuce lasts in your refrigerator. It would be far worse sitting on the counter in your bathroom! Regrettably, natural or plant-based preservatives have been shown to have rather poor antimicrobial or antifungal properties. Complications for skin due to a product being contaminated are a serious consideration when it comes to how a product is preserved.
One of the ways a company claiming to be "all natural" when it isn't can create the right impression in the consumer's mind is by listing a natural ingredient description in parentheses next to the more technical-sounding ingredient on their label. Although this appears to be helpful information, it leads consumers in the wrong direction. For example, ammonium lauryl sulfate, a standard detergent cleansing agent, is listed on an Aveda ingredient label as being derived from coconut oil. While that makes the ingredient sound natural, what the label doesn't explain is what the coconut oil has to go through to become ammonium lauryl sulfate. Ammonium lauryl sulfate is the salt of a sulfuric acid compound, neutralized with an ingredient like triethanolamine. None of that makes this ingredient bad for skin, and I wouldn't tell anyone to avoid ammonium lauryl sulfate, but that is the more accurate description of that ingredient and it just isn't "natural."
It is important to point out that many natural ingredients can cause allergies, irritation, and skin sensitivities, including phototoxic reactions, where application of the ingredient to skin becomes more problematic upon exposure to sunlight. Another consideration is to think of how many people have a hay fever response to a wide variety of plants, and observe how many of these plants show up in cosmetics. Another concern is when citrus shows up in skin-care products, anyone who has gotten lemon or lime juice on a slight cut while cooking knows it burns like crazy because it's irritating to skin. Camphor (which is distilled from certain trees), peppermint, menthol, and eucalyptus can all cause an irritant or sensitizing response. All of the following natural ingredients can cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, skin sensitivity, and/or sun sensitivity:
In the world of skin care and makeup, the claims about all-natural products are either exaggerated because the products are laden with lots of unnatural ingredients, or the natural ingredients they do contain are problematic for the skin. Just because an ingredient grows out of the ground or is found in nature doesn't make it automatically good for skin, and the reverse is also true, just because it is synthetic doesn't make it bad. Yet there are many beneficial natural ingredients for skin, which makes the whole issue more confusing because consumers are often at a loss (or simply don't have the time) to determine which natural ingredients are helpful and which are harmful (and more products than I care to count contain a frustrating combination of both).
Fruits, vegetables, or any pure food ingredients are not necessarily the best for skin. When it comes to skin care, more often than not, it is some small element of the plant that has benefit for skin (that's why putting grapes or pomegranates directly on the skin never equals good skin care despite the fact they are excellent sources of antioxidants). Extracting the active, beneficial component from the plant almost always requires a process that is synthetically derived (such as obtaining epigallocatechin-3-gallate from green tea, or genistein from soy). Further, these extracts are far more stable than the whole food. Think about it this way: a plant in its pure form isn't stable in the least, especially in skin-care products. Just think of how long a head of lettuce lasts in your refrigerator. It would be far worse sitting on the counter in your bathroom! Regrettably, natural or plant-based preservatives have been shown to have rather poor antimicrobial or antifungal properties. Complications for skin due to a product being contaminated are a serious consideration when it comes to how a product is preserved.
One of the ways a company claiming to be "all natural" when it isn't can create the right impression in the consumer's mind is by listing a natural ingredient description in parentheses next to the more technical-sounding ingredient on their label. Although this appears to be helpful information, it leads consumers in the wrong direction. For example, ammonium lauryl sulfate, a standard detergent cleansing agent, is listed on an Aveda ingredient label as being derived from coconut oil. While that makes the ingredient sound natural, what the label doesn't explain is what the coconut oil has to go through to become ammonium lauryl sulfate. Ammonium lauryl sulfate is the salt of a sulfuric acid compound, neutralized with an ingredient like triethanolamine. None of that makes this ingredient bad for skin, and I wouldn't tell anyone to avoid ammonium lauryl sulfate, but that is the more accurate description of that ingredient and it just isn't "natural."
It is important to point out that many natural ingredients can cause allergies, irritation, and skin sensitivities, including phototoxic reactions, where application of the ingredient to skin becomes more problematic upon exposure to sunlight. Another consideration is to think of how many people have a hay fever response to a wide variety of plants, and observe how many of these plants show up in cosmetics. Another concern is when citrus shows up in skin-care products, anyone who has gotten lemon or lime juice on a slight cut while cooking knows it burns like crazy because it's irritating to skin. Camphor (which is distilled from certain trees), peppermint, menthol, and eucalyptus can all cause an irritant or sensitizing response. All of the following natural ingredients can cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, skin sensitivity, and/or sun sensitivity:
- Almond extract
- Allspice
- Angelica
- Arnica
- Balm mint oil
- Balsam
- Basil
- Bergamot (unless it is specifically labeled "bergapten-free")
- Cinnamon
- Citrus
- Clove
- Clover blossom
- Cornstarch
- Coriander oil
- Cottonseed oil
- Fennel
- Fir needle
- Geranium oil
- Grapefruit oil
- Horsetail
- Lavender oil
- Lemon
- Lemon balm
- Lemongrass
- Lime
- Marjoram
- Oak bark
- Papaya
- Peppermint
- Rose
- Sage
- Thyme
- Witch hazel
- Wintergreen
- Alfalfa
- Algae
- Aloe
- Andiroba oil
- Apricot kernel oil
- Artichoke extract
- Avocado oil
- Babassu oil
- Bearberry extract
- Beeswax
- Black currant oil
- Black elderberry
- Black tea
- Bladderwrack
- Borage seed extract
- Borage seed oil
- Burdock root
- Candelilla wax
- Canola oil
- Carnauba wax
- Carrot extract and oil
- Castor oil (all forms)
- Ceramides
- Chamomile extracts
- Cocoa butter
- Coconut oil
- Cornflower extract
- Corn oil
- Cranberry seed oil
- Curcumin (turmeric)
- Elderberry
- Evening primrose oil
- Flax extract and oil
- Ginkgo biloba
- Grape seed extract
- Grape seed oil
- Green tea
- Hazelnut oil
- Hemp seed oil
- Honey
- Horse chestnut extract
- Hydrocotyl extract
- Irish moss
- Japan wax
- Jojoba oil
- Kaolin
- Kelp
- Kudzu root
- Kukui nut oil
- Lanolin (all forms)
- Licorice extract and root
- Linseed oil
- Lotus seed extract
- Macadamia nut oil
- Magnesium
- Mallow
- Matricaria
- Nettle
- Oat extracts
- Olive oil
- Oryzanol
- Ozokerite
- Palm oil
- Peanut oil
- Pecan oil
- Pine cone extract
- Propolis
- Pycnogenol
- Rapeseed oil
- Raspberry seed oil
- Rice bran oil
- Rose hip oil
- Safflower oil
- Sea whip extract
- Seaweed
- Sesame oil
- Shea butter
- Slippery elm bark
- Soybean extract
- Soybean oil
- Sunflower oil
- Sweet almond oil
- Tea tree oil
- Vanilla Planifolia
- Walnut oil
- Wheat germ glycerides and oil
- Wheat Protein
- Whey Protein
- White tea
- Willow bark
- Willowherb (fireweed) extract
- Yeast
- Yucca extract
