Natural beauty products are a rapidly growing niche within the larger cosmetics industry. With the rise of cleaner living lifestyles and a global going green attitude, more women are spending time examining what goes into the makeup that they put on their skin. Synthetic free makeup (another term used for natural beauty makeup) might be a more healthy option for you to consider, but there is still much confusion about what exactly is true natural makeup.
At stake is not just possibly a healthier way for living but a lot of money. Beauty products are one of the world’s biggest industries, with tens of thousands of products all competing for your hard earned cash. According to a 2018 report, the worldwide market for beauty products is $532 billion dollars – and the industry is expected to keep growing by 7% each year for the next six years.
We want to explain about the differences between these natural beauty items and the traditional ones made from synthetics. What are the differences? Are there any proven health benefits to using natural makeup versus synthetic makeup? Should you be looking for makeup that uses no chemicals, or is that even possible? This guide is meant to educate you towards making beauty and makeup decisions that you are confident about.
What is the definition of “natural beauty” or “natural makeup”?
As it is used in marketing and by consumers, the understanding of a natural makeup product or a move towards natural beauty is to use makeup that has eliminated as many (if not all) synthetic ingredients.
Natural beauty products rely on ingredients found naturally in the environment. Examples include:
- Water and coconut oils (found in natural shampoos)
- Aloe vera (skin moisturizers)
- Avocado (exfoliates)
- Sea salt (teeth whitener, scalp care, body scrub)
- Argan oil (skin and hair protection)
- Myrrh (teeth cleaning, swelling and sores treatment)
It’s also an assumption that a natural product will have undergone less of a manufacturing process, although this will greatly vary from manufacturers and also what the product’s primary use is to be.
What is a synthetic ingredient?
A synthetic ingredient is one not made in nature, so it’s man-made. Examples of synthetic ingredients include synthetic colors, parabens (preservative compounds included to prevent liquids from growing bacteria), Stearalkonium Chloride (an antimicrobial used in cosmetics and hair care products like conditioner), Sodium Lauryl (used to create foam), Propylene glycol (a solvent),PVP/VA Copolymers (used to create hold for haircare products), and others.
What’s the difference between words like “green”, “clean” and “natural” in makeup products?
It’s really important to understand that any makeup company can use healthy sounding words in the description of, or even the actual product name. For example, “Healthy Makeup” doesn’t actually mean that this kind of makeup is better for your body.
In America there is no regulatory body that administers what words can or can’t be used in a beauty product’s label. Because of that, don’t be fooled into thinking that just because words like “non-toxic”, “greenest”, “safe” and so on are used, the makeup is made from less chemicals.
In other words, those words are meaningless. Ignore them.
What about using “organic” in the description?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates cosmetics under an act. Unfortunately, they do not monitor the use of the word “organic”, which instead falls under the Department of Agriculture jurisdiction.
Still, all cosmetic products that are marked “organic” need to follow FDA and USDA (Department of Agriculture) regulations for the organic claim.
- 100% organic means exactly what it says: the product was manufactured with ingredients that were not subject to chemical treatment, or contain artificial ingredients.
- If a product has at least 95% organic ingredients it can use the description “organic” in its description.
- If the product contains at least 70% organic ingredients, the product can use the term “Made with” in its description.
- For products with less than 70% organic ingredients they cannot use the organic designation.
But (and it’s a big one), that doesn’t mean if a makeup product is considered to be made organically that it’s good for your health.
The safety of a beauty product cannot be guaranteed. Some organic ingredients can cause harm to a person either by allergies or more harmful results.
As the FDA site states, “Under the FD&C Act, all cosmetic products and ingredients are subject to the same safety requirement: They must be safe for consumers under labeled or customary conditions of use (FD&C Act, section 601(a). Companies and individuals who market cosmetics have a legal responsibility to ensure that their products and ingredients are safe for the intended use.”
In short, while organic products are thought of to be healthier and better for individuals, it’s not an automatic win for your own personal body health. Exercise caution and know what plants or substances can cause harmful reactions with your body.
Are there any natural makeups that don’t have chemicals in them?
It is a common misconception that natural products don’t have chemicals in them. Quite the contrary: everything contains chemicals. The air that you’re breathing right now contains chemicals. So does pure water.
Put simply, chemicals are ingredients of a form of matter that cannot be separated further. You can break apart water into two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, but it also won’t be the compound we know as water.
In short, natural makeups contain chemicals. What concerns people choosing to move towards natural makeup alternatives is whether the makeup contains synthetics, the chemical creations manufactured in a lab.
What is a paraben?
Parabens are artificial chemical compounds used in a wide variety of products and act as a preservative stopping the spread of microorganisms. For skincare and makeup, parabens stop the development of bacteria and molds that would otherwise develop and grow in the product’s moist environment. Foods also use parabens to achieve a similar result, and to increase the lifespan of the consumable.
Some of the makeup and cosmetic uses of parabens include:
- Shampoos and conditioners
- Shaving gels and foams
- Suntan cream
- Moisturizers
- Toothpaste
- Lipsticks, foundations, eyeliners, face makeups
- Lubricants
What are the health concerns of parabens?
In the mid-2000s a report about the possible impact that parabens have on estrogen development was published, and the risk of disrupting hormone balance in the reproductive system. Animal testing experiments showed an impact in estrogen production but not enough to warrant an elevated concern amongst humans just yet. Greater estrogen production has been associated with an elevated chance of certain types of breast cancer.
Not enough research and conclusive findings about the long-term impact of parabens on humans has been published. As of today, there is no conclusive evidence that body absorption of parabens increases the chance of developing cancer.
Studies are continuing, but more cautious individuals and groups already advocate that people use alternative products that don’t use parabens.
If I want to avoid products containing parabens what should I do?
Look at the ingredients on packaging to see if they contain any of these words:
- Methylparaben
- Propylparaben
- Isoparaben
- Butylparaben
Alternative makeup companies are also starting to label their non-paraben products as “paraben free”.
There are over 100 companies that provide paraben free cosmetic and beauty products. Brands to look for include Botanical Skin Works, Agoo Agii, Dr. Hauschka, Hylunia, Grateful Body, Naturopathica, W3ll People, Beauty society, Pristine Recovery, ybf, Colby Organic and many others.
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