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You only have one skin to last your entire
life. But the quest for truly natural and beneficial bath and body
products can be daunting and the very definition of ‘natural’ varies
widely. If you ask anyone, including a chemist, the definition of
‘natural’ the range of answers is endless. Don’t despair. There are a few
simple steps to find what is truly natural and good for your skin.
First, get ready to read. In today’s environment the word natural is used
on everything from baby wipes to shampoos. Indeed botanicals and natural
ingredients are more commonly used in all types of bath and body products,
but what does it all mean? The FDA does not regulate natural bath products
nor do they give guidelines on what ingredients may or may not be used to
produce such products-- something I found quite frustrating while
searching for natural bath products to help with my eczema several years
ago.
Like many consumers, I figured if a product said it was natural then it
must be true. But as I began to research ingredient names on products that
are labeled ‘natural’ or ‘made for sensitive skin’ I found long lists of
chemical detergents, colorants, fragrances and preservatives. This
experience lead me to start my company Enfusia, which is dedicated to
using gentle, non irritating ingredients that come from nature first,
science second.
There is actually a small list of key ingredients to avoid that are
money-savers with no true benefit to your skin. Companies are often driven
by profit margins to cut (stretch the ingredient by adding something to
it) expensive ingredients like essential oils with cheaper alternatives
like fragrance oil to lessen the overall ingredient cost down. Some
manufacturers may only use a trace of a natural ingredient like Jojoba Oil
but will place a natural claim on their label when in fact the formula may
contain less than 1% of this ingredient.
In general, avoid products that have any of the following ingredients:
• Mineral Oil
• Propylene Glycol (PG)
• Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
• Synthetic Fragrance
By adding mineral oil companies can give you a product with an ‘emollient’
feel but without the benefits of using a natural oil. In reality, mineral
oil is a by-product of distillation of gasoline from crude oil and does
nothing to nourish the skin. In fact it’s a moisture inhibitor and
actually sits on the surface of the skin. A better alternative is Sweet
Almond Oil or Jojoba Oil which are botanical ingredients that nourish the
skin with vitamins that help fight free radicals and keep skin supple.
Propylene Glycol (PG) is used as a surfactant to help reduce surface
tension and allow liquid to spread easily across your skin. Also used in
anti-freeze and brake fluid, PG helps protect products from extreme heat
or cold so they don’t melt or freeze. There are natural surfactants such
as Disodium Coco-Glucoside Citrate (made from sugar) or Decyl polyglucose
(made from corn, coconut and palm oil extracts), that don’t strip the skin
of moisture, are non-irritating and most important, non toxic.
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) is a chemical cleansing agent, humectant and
emulsifier. This product is found in many bath and body products as well
as oven cleaners and other industrial strength cleaners. A few natural
alternatives are vegetable glycerin or cetyl alcohol (derived from palm
oil). Both are excellent moisturizers and humectants.
Sodium Laryl Sulfate (SLS) is a chemical detergent found in most laundry
soaps as well as bath products. This chemical surfactant strips the skin
of vital moisture and has been known to irritate eyes and cause urinary
tract infections. Pay particular attention to this ingredient if you have
small children-- the FDA says it’s safe in small quantities but again
there are gentler alternatives.
Avoid Synthetic Fragrances: Fragrances can be quite irritating to the
skin, eyes and nose and often are the culprit for urinary tract and yeast
infections in women. As we sit in our bubble bath soaking away the world’s
stresses, we allow a perfect opportunity for those chemical compounds to
work their way into places they don’t belong. Fragrances can be made
naturally and both Enfusia and Cocoon products only use 100% pure
essential oils for fragrance. Be careful of statements like “natural
fragrance.” This is basically a synthetic copy of the natural flower or
essential oil. It’s much cheaper to use synthetic fragrance oil than an
essential oil. If a manufacturer is using an essential oil to fragrance it
will be on their label.
Choose Nature over Science: Nature gives us an amazing array of botanical
ingredients and essential oils that naturally protect and nourish our
skin. Essential oils are made from the distillation of flowers and provide
tremendous benefits to our skin. For example, Lavender (lavandula
angustifolia) is not only one of the safest essential oils in the world
but its benefits are many. It’s an antiseptic, has antifungal properties,
helps reduce inflammation and is quite therapeutic. I started blending
lavender essential oil and sweet almond oil together to help with the
eczema irritation I experienced in my early twenties to help the itching
and it worked extremely well.
Use your knowledge to find what is natural. If you go to the store and see
a natural baby wash product, turn the bottle over and see if it has any of
the harsh detergents mentioned earlier in this article. There is no magic
percentage of ingredients listed on the bottle that make it natural. If it
has PEG and essential oil, it is not natural. Good brands are proud of
their ingredients and will disclose all of them. Both Enfusia and Cocoon
ingredients are listed on their bottles including the preservatives.
Although preservatives have gotten a bad rep over the years not all
preservatives are bad and using no preservatives at all in bath products
isn’t good either. Preservatives are necessary to keep bacteria and molds
from growing in your bath and body products. Enfusia and Cocoon use food
grade preservatives only when necessary. The percentage is so low (1/4 of
1%) that we are not required to list them, but we do. We have nothing to
hide and want our customers to know what they are putting on their skin. |
