Natural Skin Care – Why Bother?

Natural skin care is ordinarily understood to refer to those products characterised by the absence of synthetic components, such as preservatives, petrochemical derivatives, mineral oils, fragrances and harsh detergents.

Usually, natural skin care solutions are created making use of organic components such as plant oils, crucial oils, herbal and floral extracts (both aqueous and waxy), that have been ready in the “old fashion way”, without chemical processing or modification. From time to time, ethically created animal derivatives, such as beeswax, may well also be present in all-natural skin care (1).

All-natural skin care created with approved organically made raw materials and practices can be organic certified by the relevant organic organizations.

However, there are a lot of items in the industry that claim to be either organic or that are cleverly marketed for their singular botanical extract or vitamin, amongst a dense cocktail of synthetic components. These are the “pseudo-all-natural” goods (1). To help clarify if a skin care product is genuinely all-natural, it is advised to read the ingredients section in the label.

Why is organic skin care improved than synthetic?

Products that are created from components that have been extracted naturally from sustainably maintained plants and crops manifest the essence, the energy, the qualities and the added benefits of the source raw material, in approaches that synthetics ingredients do not.

Merely place, the geographical location, the soil and the water the plants are grown in, as effectively as the sun exposure, the seasons and harvesting times contribute to the mature plants and crop yields in one of a kind ways.

These aspects can’t be mimicked in the laboratory or controlled nurseries, as the all-natural exposure to the environmental circumstances facilitates development of subtle variations in the plants. These are then reflected in the high quality of the extracted oils, as nicely as on their specific composition, properties and positive aspects.

Besides, synthetic components are made in laboratories making use of scientific, however generally hazardous processes involving the use of carbon dioxide, propylene glycol or hexane primarily based approaches. While these chemical agents may perhaps only be present is trace amounts in the final synthesised ingredients, it is unclear what impact they may well have as they accumulate in our bodies, over a prolonged period of exposure (two).

Of course, some of the organic extracts and oils may well also be impacted or destabilised by the all-natural extraction procedures made use of in their preparation. For these causes producers of organic skin care solutions give terrific consideration to the sourcing of their raw supplies and how natural ingredients are ready from the latter.

What is Specific About Plant Oils?

Plant oils are produced up of complex mixtures of different fatty acids (lipids). It is the distinct mix and ratio of these fatty acids that determines the special character of any oil. In addition to the most important lipid fraction, there are also other extremely critical bioactive substances such as the phospholipids, phosphatides, phytosterols, phytoestrogens, isoflavones and vitamins. These bioactives are identified as the unsaponifiable fraction of the oil. They generally are present is smaller amounts and are distinctive signatures of the oils (3).

To demonstrate how the oil composition determines the distinction in functional properties, the standard fatty acid profile of apricot kernel and borage oils as described in Kusmirek (3) are compared beneath.

1 – Apricot kernel oil is a mixture of 58 – 74% of oleic acid, 25 – 30% of linoleic, with the remainder 4 – 7% composed of palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic and alpha-linolenic acids. The unsaponifiable content is around .5 -.75%.

2 – Borage oil is a mixture of 30 – 40% linoleic acid, 8 – 25% gamma linolenic acid, 15 – 20% oleic acid, 9 – 12% palmitic acid, three – 4% stearic acid, 2 – 6 % eicosenoic acid. Ethical skincare is roughly 1%.

Apricot kernel oil is a terrific nourishing and emollient oil that is conveniently absorbed. These properties are attribute to the higher percentages of oleic and linoleic acids. Additionally, apricot kernel oil is also an exceptional source of vitamin A, present in the unsaponifiable matter.

Borage oil is recognized for its nourishing and penetrating properties attributed to the presence of linoleic and oleic acids, but in addition the higher content of gamma-linolenic acid confers its regenerating and firming qualities.

The variations in the properties of apricot kernel and borage oils, as well as those of other oils not discussed right here, demonstrate the value to blend various plant oils for optimal skin care, so that the skin is adequately fed, continuously hydrated, smooth feeling and equipped to regenerate effectively. These are essential to promote a healthy skin glow, regardless of age.

But, even if the synthetics oils have been to reproduce the precise mixes and ratios of plant derived fatty acids and unsaponifiables, it would be almost impossible to mimic into the synthetic oils the contribution from the energy that is held in the plant, from which the equivalent natural oils have been extracted. Hence, organic ingredients are diverse from their synthetic equivalents.

What about essential oils and other botanicals?

Vital oils are concentrated extracts of aromatic and other volatile plant substances, at times containing development variables known for their regenerative properties. They are the source of the scents of nature and may be made use of to add scent to organic merchandise. Because of their concentrated nature and high cost to produce, only modest amounts of important oils are employed in organic skin care. Apart from, as vital oils may well be irritating to the skin, they really should under no circumstances be made use of undiluted.

In contrast to oils, floral/herbal waters are the aqueous extracts from flowers/plants. Naturally produced oils and aqueous extracts are created by way of distillation, steaming, or infusion strategies. These are slow and normally inefficient processes that add to price. But, the merchandise generated using non-synthetic approaches are significantly safer and healthier than these extracted with the use of artificial methods.

Is there a challenge with the variation in all-natural ingredient batches?

The swift answer is NO!

Surely, naturally created ingredients show “batch variation”, but this is component of nature, demonstrating the cycles of modify. These are organic bio- rhythms, and as with all the things in nature from time to time there is abundant sunshine, other times there are only clouds. Naturally, these weather alterations affect the growth patterns of the plants.