Why use natural cosmetics?

Detox is all the rage. The detoxifying craze as it pertains to diet, according to Patrick Holford in the February edition of 'Natural Products' magazine, is based upon the idea that when you start to feel under the weather or lathargic, your body is telling you something and so it's time to cut out all the junk.

As with all forms of dieting, however, Patrick casts doubt over the effectiveness of such short-term action, pointing out that if your body is being starved of certain nutrients then only the most essential functions are being prioritised at the expense of long-term repair and rejuvenation.

The same principle extends to cosmetics in that if you continually bombard your skin with harmful chemicals and starve it of essential vitamins, while no immediate effects may be evident, the cumulative effect of this can be an accelation of the aging process and permanent skin damage.

"To minimise risk and slow down the ageing process," notes Patrick, "it is better to tip the scales in your favour."

While this can often be a challenge when it comes to always eating only the purist foods, ensuring that you only use natural or organic cosmetics is a lot easier and not necessarily any more expensive.

When it comes to spray tanning, for example, the growing trend towards tanning solutions with ever-higher chemical content (despite the fact that the skin cannot absorb any more than 10-12% DHA) has been discussed in a ground-breaking article by Fresh Indulgence. The need to be seen to have the strongest tanning solution on the market is driving suppliers to pump their tanning solutions full of DHA percentages which go way beyond the recommendations outlined by the SCCS, and despite the fact that tanning solutions with DHA percentages beyond 12% have been scientifically proven to be no more effective at tanning the skin (in fact, the chemical overload of these solutions produces a less even tan with faster wear off), people are still buying them.

Even in every day cosmetics such as skin moisturisers or cleansers, the majority of big name retail brands are preserving their creams with unnecessary parabens and sulphates, despite the ready and cost-effective availability of natural alternatives.

Even the 'pure' world of mineral makeup is not free from these concerns, with bismuth oxychloride (an artificially created known skin allergen) a common ingredient in many leading brands.

Yet alternatives are available. Pure, natural, and they won't break the bank. So why use natural cosmetics? If you've read this far, then you've already removed the one barrier to actually doing so (education). So if your long-term health is at stake, why not?