Natural cosmetics are becoming increasingly popular: In the shelves of the drugstores and supermarkets, there are more and more creams, lotions, cleaning gels and make-up on a natural basis, which are said to be better for body and environment than conventional care products. But is that true? And are the natural products really as effective as “normal” cosmetics?
Natural cosmetics are booming: More and more people are relying on to make their body care more environmentally friendly and healthier. In drugstores and perfumes there are numerous products with organic seals and “free of” promise. The natural products are said to be better for skin, hair and environment. But how effective are these products compared to conventional cosmetics? How do both cosmetics differ and where are there in common?
Natural cosmetics: gentle and better tolerable?
In conventional cosmetics, mineral oils, emulsifiers as well as synthetic fragrance, color and preservatives such as parabens and silicones occur often. They ensure an attractive appearance and a pleasant application of the creams and co and make them durable at the same time. In addition, conventional cosmetics often contain other synthetic ingredients that have been specially developed to treat certain skin problems. However, these active and ingredients can cause irritation with redness and itching as well as allergic reactions in sensitive skin types.
For natural cosmetics, however, the manufacturers mostly use natural ingredients from minerals and plants – for example white clay, zinc oxide and Tourmaline or Aloe Vera, Argan, Jojoba, Olive, Tea and Shea. These often come from organic cultivation or game collections. The natural products are usually free of synthetic substances of all kinds. That is why they are usually well tolerated by people with sensitive skin or skin diseases such as eczema and rosacea.
But the vegetable oils, essences and mineral pigments can also trigger allergies in some cases. Since natural cosmetics do without synthetic preservatives, sometimes harmful germs or mold grow. However, high -quality natural products contain alternative preserving methods such as ferments or natural alcohols to avoid this.
Effectiveness of natural cosmetics is not always detected
So natural cosmetics are not always gentler, but do they at least think what they promise? In fact, natural products are often just as effective as conventional cosmetics and an equally good alternative. Because they often contain natural substances that have an anti -inflammatory, antioxidant and moisturizing effect, such as hemp extracts, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. These have been shown to promote skin health by calming down, regenerating and strengthening the skin barrier.
However, conventional cosmetics sometimes offer the advantage that they contain specifically developed designer active ingredients that sometimes treat specific skin problems even more effectively than natural ingredients. In some cases, natural products cannot keep up. In addition, the active ingredients, which are synthetically produced, are often more stable, i.e. longer durable and longer effective and better dosed and scientifically researched. Synthetic retinol, vitamin C or hyaluronic acid show, for example, a demonstrable effect against skin aging, but an effect is not always sufficient for the same substances from vegetable sources.
Natural products are often more environmentally friendly and sustainable
In terms of environmental friendliness, natural cosmetics usually perform better than conventional cosmetics. On the one hand, this is due to the products themselves and their ingredients. For example, natural cosmetics do not contain microplastics or other difficult to break down polymers that accumulate in nature. Many natural cosmetics manufacturers also use more sustainable cultivation methods as well as resource-friendly production processes and packaging materials-such as more paper or recycled plastic and overall less packaging.
If you want to pay attention to sustainability in your cosmetics and make a positive contribution to environmental protection, you should use natural cosmetics. However, not every natural product is automatically sustainable. For example, the cultivation of exotic vegetable oils such as almond or coconut can consume a lot of water. It is therefore worth taking a critical look at the origin and certifications of the natural cosmetics. However, seals only offer orientation to a limited extent, since standing standards and regulations of different strict standards behind them. There are no really sustainable or harmful products and a uniform definition of “natural cosmetics”.
Nature or synthetics? A question of priorities
The decision for natural cosmetics or conventional cosmetics ultimately depends on individual preferences and care needs as well as health. Personal tolerance is crucial, not only the origin of the ingredients.
