Skin-friendly beauty

For most people, beauty products are a quick, simple way to get plump, glowing skin. However, skin conditions/skin diseases are rapidly on the rise and many synthetic ingredients have been linked to this sharp increase.

Plant oils and botanicals have a natural affinity with the skin, are recognised and absorbed readily. They are particularly relevant for dry skin conditions where essential fatty acids are depleted. Natural plant oils help replenish skin with those fatty acids, improving the condition of skin at a deeper level. Plus, natural plant oils incorporate antioxidants which are of huge benefit to the skin. 

Skin diseases are ranked as the fourth most common cause of human illness according to a new study by the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, caused predominantly by allergic reactions in the skin due to chemical compounds found in creams, cosmetics, and other topical consumer products. 

The British Skin Foundation estimates that 70% of British people have visible skin conditions or scars that affect their confidence.

Further, data collected from 2,701 individuals at Munich Oktoberfest, Germany showed that 64.5% had at least one skin abnormality with the most common diagnoses being actinic keratosis – dry scaly patches of skin that have been damaged by the sun – 26.6%, rosacea 25.5% and eczema 11.7%.

Synthetic ingredients 

Many synthetic ingredients have been linked to this spike, and a few are mentioned below.

SLS 

SLS is a detergent that strips away the skin’s natural protective oils leaving it exposed and prone to reaction. It is also very alkaline which causes disruption to the skin’s pH balance and important acid mantle. However, it is included in many products, and this may be partly due to the costs involved as SLS is an extremely cheap ingredient.  

Mineral oil 

Mineral oil has few benefits. It’s occlusive, which basically means that it sits on top of the skin creating a barrier preventing water loss. However, it doesn’t benefit the skin at all and is a distillate of petroleum! 

Preservatives 

Preservatives are in every product that contains water (apart from soap bars). They need to be, otherwise the product would spoil extremely quickly and become dangerous to apply. Nearly all preservatives are synthetically produced and can play havoc with skin’s natural microorganisms, linking them to the rise of skin allergies. 

Signs of reaction

Irritation

Often referred to as ‘contact dermatitis’ this is the most common skin reaction to a beauty product and can cause burning, stinging, itching and redness after application. Dry and reactive skin naturally loses some of its natural protection against irritants which allows harsher reactions to occur easily. 

Skin allergies 

Sensitivity or a true allergy to a specific ingredient in a product can cause redness, swelling, itching, and blisters on the skin. Common culprits are fragrances and preservatives. 

Many ‘natural’ skincare companies try to mask the natural aroma of an ingredient by deodorising it. This, unfortunately, is a chemical process which again, can cause an allergic reaction for some skin types. There is no need for a skincare label to state if the oil has been deodorised or not, the ingredient name remains the same.  

For sensitive skin, always choose a ‘fragrance-free’ or ‘without perfume/parfum’ product. Fragrance oils are synthetic – artificially created from chemical compounds that do not occur naturally. They are often found in skincare as they are much cheaper than essential oils and retain an aroma longer.   

Check the label 

Always check for the ingredient ‘aqua’. This means water and you can be pretty sure that if aqua is in a product, so are preservatives (excluding soaps as the water naturally evaporates and so a preservative is not needed).

Also check for ‘perfume/parfum’ as this more often than not denotes a synthetic fragrance – rammed full of synthetic chemicals – that can also contain preservatives.

Choose products with the fewest ingredients and always choose natural products that are water-free, preservative free and free of synthetic ingredients. 

Organic, natural plant-oils are the most skin-friendly beauty ingredients.

Hypoallergenic 

Just because a product states ‘hypoallergenic’, ‘dermatologist tested’, ‘sensitivity tested’ or ‘non-irritating’, does not guarantee that your skin won’t react. These ‘tested’ products often contain a myriad of synthetic ingredients, ingredients that have been linked to the rise in skin sensitivities!