Spotting Organic Skin Care Products
2nd July 2009 by Bronchitis No CommentsMany people find organic skin care mysterious. Generally, we have an idea that organic things are good for us. But most of us do not really know the definition of the word organic. We probably assume that organic skin care labels mean a product is good for our skin because it is natural. This is partly true, but there is far more to organic skin care than natural ingredients alone. An organic skin care investment will get the best results if you understand what makes your product work.
The law says a product can be labeled “organic” if it has 95 percent organic ingredients. Something that is organic contains carbon. It follows that a product that contains 95 percent carbon-based ingredients can be considered organic. In terms of skin care products, this means a petroleum and petroleum-based product can easily be labeled organic. For example, methylparaben, a suspected carcinogen, is petroleum-based and present in many skin care products. It is pretty certain that when you think “organic skin care” you are not thinking of crude oil derivatives that might give you cancer. As a result, you need to be very careful to reconcile your interpretation of organic skin care with the legal definition before you buy.
Organic skin care that meets your requirements is out there, but you need to know what to look for. Most people want natural, unaltered ingredients whenever possible. (Remember that there will need to be some preservatives and basic processing for health reasons.) Most people also want “green” products when they think organic. They want to know their purchase did not harm the environment.
The best way to be sure that you are getting the type of product you want is to simply read the label. Look for compounds that have been derived from other things. For example, “Cocamide-DEA derived from coconut oil.” You could say this is organic because it comes from a natural substance. However, the only way to get it is to process it using a known carcinogen. In truth, derived ingredients may not be organic in the way that most of us would use the term.
You can also factor in water content when evaluating how organic a product is. Often, a label of 75 percent organic merely indicates about 75 percent water in the product. In general, you should only consider entirely organic skin care products to be truly organic.
You can reap incredible rewards from using truly organic skin care products. Your skin is a natural organ and will benefit from natural elements. However, in order to get true value from organic skin care, you need to understand how to spot the “good stuff” and how to spot a wolf in organic clothing.
This information provided as a courtesy of http://www.BeautyCtr.com, America’s leading source of free, unbiased information and reviews about health and beauty products.
