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Divia Harilela

Contributing writer for Style by SCMP, specialising in fashion, beauty and lifestyle


What is natural skincare?  We ask the experts

I am a sucker for anything 'natural'. Whether it is the food I eat or the clothes I wear (preferably organic cotton), as long as it is labelled natural, I am ready to go to the ends of the earth to get it.

I am not alone. As many consumers choose to go natural, skincare companies are jumping on the bandwagon to offer sunscreens derived from the coral of the Great Barrier Reef, while  fast-food chains are serving up salads.

We all know natural is good for us, but do we really know why?

'Because it works,' says Barbara Close, founder of Naturopathica, a botanical skincare line and holistic health spa based in New York.

Since 1995, Ms Close has made it her mission to educate consumers on the benefits of natural skincare. Her motto, 'pure ingredients, pure results', is built on her more than 20 years' experience in holistic healing.

'People are finally more interested in the quality of life and what they put in their bodies. The same goes for our skin. It is a vital organ, not a piece of cellophane. What we put on it is important,' she says.

Unlike many companies, Naturopathica does not 'green-wash' its products by adding botanical extracts to toxic base materials.

Many consumers do not realise that natural is a term open to interpretation, allowing companies to label products as natural when they contain ingredients that have been altered or mixed with toxic chemicals.

'Things can be natural in nature, but how we extract them changes the makeup,' says Ms Close.

'Like fine wine, natural products or ingredients vary [according to the] batch. So, some years our calendula blossoms will come out better than others. The same goes for our wild-crafted ingredients. There are always different concentrations of active compounds in a natural ingredient. That's what I love about them and that's what natural really means.'

She says a founding   principle in natural medicine is that of synergy, and the same applies to natural skincare.

'We want to use ingredients on our skin that our bodies easily identify. For example, evening primrose oil has a natural fatty acid our body can readily identify and is therefore simulated better than a synthetic  compound.

'That it is a real difference between natural and synthetic, and that is why natural is so much better for you.

'Don't forget that 85 per cent of world's medicines are derived from plants. Even aspirin comes from willow. Nature gives us so much to work from.'

Despite using widely diverse natural ingredients,  most nature-loving brands agree on a list of harmful chemicals they do not want in their products.

'When you read about nasty cosmetic chemicals and their long-term side effects, the phrase 'dying to be beautiful' takes on a new meaning,' said Jenefer Palmer, founder of the all-natural, marine-based skincare line Osea. 'The list of these bad boys is endless but there are a few that stand out.'

Among Ms Palmer's top 10 are alpha and beta hydroxy acids, which the United States Food and Drug Administration Office of Women's Health has linked to UV-induced skin damage and a potentially increased risk of skin cancer.

'I would not be surprised if they take them off the shelves in the next 10 years,' Ms Palmer says.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), common contaminants in petrolatum (petroleum jelly), are also deadly chemical compounds, linked to breast cancer. The United States National Toxicology Programme has found that some PAHs are human carcinogens. From  last month, their use in cosmetics has been  banned in the European Union.

Toluene is known to cause headaches, confusion, memory loss and kidney damage, while lead acetate, commonly found in hair dye, can cause permanent brain damage and lingers in the body for decades.

Luckily,  there is a stream of new natural products and ingredients set to hit shelves in the coming months.

Ms Close foresees a definite trend towards homeopathic skincare in the next six to eight months.

The latest take on natural products is organic skincare, a term which many skincare experts consider misleading.

'I think it's ridiculous to call skincare organic - that's mostly marketing,' Ms Close says. 'There is no organic certification for skincare, although you can certify ingredients in how they are crafted. You can grow them organically, but in our line we do lots of wild crafting, which means the ingredients are always changing. How can you regulate that?'

A trend to keep track of is a move towards environmentally aware skincare.

Ms Palmer says: 'Our natural resources are dwindling  - we have to start looking after our environment. This means products that are eco-friendly and use ingredients from renewable sources, and biodegradable packing.'

Natural skincare is the way of the future and will hopefully change the beliefs and ethics of the beauty industry. This, combined with education and healthier living, means we can all look forward to greener, longer lives.



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