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Natural cosmetic?
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
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On many labels of modern cosmetic products you can now see the inscription "completely natural" (or "all natural" in the case of foreign cosmetics). This label invariably attracts the consumer's sympathy for the cosmetic remedy - in fact, in the minds of most people, "natural" means "safe" and "useful" (which is very strange given how many plants in nature are poisonous and how many living things are dangerous to humans). Apparently, the man's desire for natural cosmetics is embodied in his longing for nature, from which he is increasingly moving away, and the fear of the side effects of synthetic drugs (as well as the ubiquitous carcinogens), and the belief in the healing forces of nature is the last hope of all the suffering.
Meanwhile, not everyone can imagine what ingredients of cosmetics are natural, which should be part of natural cosmetics, is it always "natural" that is better than "synthetic" and how realistic is the creation of completely natural cosmetics.
Natural and Organic Products, which the US Department of Agriculture in 2000 defined organic products as "products grown without the use of pesticides, growth stimulants, mineral fertilizers and other substances that could adversely affect human health." It is expected that certain organic cosmetics will be formulated and legislated in the near future in the United States.
With the term "natural" everything is much worse. Cosmetic companies can treat it as they please, and they do not have to prove the naturalness of their products. Therefore, in principle, a cosmetic company can use the term "natural" even if the natural in its cosmetics is only one ingredient. For example, if it contains natural beeswax or natural essential oils. And even with regard to one ingredient, the meaning of the word "natural" can vary.
It can mean:
- A substance derived from natural sources.
- A substance obtained from natural sources and not subjected to significant modifications.
- A substance obtained from natural, uncontaminated sources that does not contain artificial additives (pesticides, growth stimulants, mineral fertilizers) that has not undergone significant modifications, is well compatible with the skin. Most often, consumers under natural cosmetics mean exactly the last group of substances. At the same time, they want all the components of cosmetics to be natural.
Therefore, from the point of view of the consumer, a completely natural cosmetic means should contain:
- Vegetable oils instead of silicones, petrolatum, fatty acid esters, etc.
- Natural polymers (eg hyaluronic acid, chitosan) instead of synthetic thickeners, natural emulsifiers (proteins, phospholipids, random starches) instead of synthetic emulsifiers, essential oils instead of fragrances, natural antimicrobial agents (benzoic acid) instead of synthetically preservatives.
- Plant extracts, natural vitamins and other components instead of synthetic analogues.
There is a question: whether it is necessary to replace all ingredients of cosmetics natural only for marketing reasons or such cosmetics actually will be more useful and safe?
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