Regular or natural cosmetics?

How to make a smart choice: To ensure that skincare and haircare are entirely safe, it's worth paying attention to the ingredients included in cosmetic products.

For decades, affordable cosmetic products have been produced from the cheapest and most stable raw materials using simple chemical technologies. Mineral oils, vaseline, and paraffin were popular, believed to effectively soften the skin and retain moisture. Until recently, both dermatology and cosmetology considered the base of cosmetic products to be merely an inert carrier of active ingredients, having no impact on the skin.

Today, it is proven that all cosmetic components influence the skin, and there are no inert substances among them. Considering that we use cosmetics daily, year after year, some critical substances can accumulate in tissues and cause harm, even if their concentrations in cosmetic formulas are extremely low.

How do substances commonly found in mass-market cosmetics affect the skin?

Mineral oils and their derivatives create an impermeable film, causing the epidermis to loosen and suppressing natural moisture retention mechanisms.

Silicones, used for comfortable cream distribution, hinder skin breathing and secretion functions, clogging pores.

Surfactants, including sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), disrupt the natural lipid barrier of the epidermis and may cause skin dryness.

Propylene glycol, used as a solvent and moisturizer, may cause skin irritation.

Preservatives like parabens may accumulate in tissues and exhibit xenoestrogenic activity, causing hormonal disruptions.

Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives may increase skin sensitivity.

Stabilizers like phthalates may negatively affect the nervous system, reducing attention and cognitive sharpness.

Synthetic fragrances and dyes may have allergenic potential.

Another drawback of many artificial cosmetic components is their chemical persistence. After use, they enter wastewater, polluting the environment.

Advantages of natural cosmetics:

Creators of natural cosmetics use plant, animal, and mineral raw materials of natural origin. The human body has adapted to such substances over millions of years of evolution. They participate in metabolic reactions and positively impact skin functions. They are biodegradable, participate in natural metabolic cycles, and do not accumulate in nature.

To maintain skin hydration, natural oils compatible with the epidermal lipids are used. Plant extracts protect the skin from heat, cold, UV radiation, and toxins. Some plants help lighten the skin, others enrich it with valuable vitamins, and others slow down aging processes. Essential oils are multifunctional, serving as bioprotectors, preservatives, and fragrances.

Over a few months of using properly chosen natural cosmetic products, noticeable transformations in the skin can occur. The complexion becomes fresher and more even, the texture denser, and contours sharper. These positive changes occur because self-regulation processes are activated, micro-inflammation calms down, toxins gradually eliminate, and the skin maximizes its genetically embedded potential.

How to distinguish natural cosmetics from regular ones? A reliable sign of natural cosmetics is the presence of a mark from one of the international natural cosmetics certifications on the packaging. The most well-known ones include COSMOS, BDIH, ECOCERT/COSMEBIO, SOIL, ICEA, NATRUE, USDA. Independent organizations rigorously test each cosmetic product and assess production processes before granting certification.