We often see the advice from cosmetic marketers and commentors on the Beauty Brains that natural products are better. They say people should avoid synthetic chemicals and stick with natural things. The truth is that such advice is simplistic, unscientific, and often just wrong. Consider the story of Ashleigh Morris.
Allergic to water
Ashleigh is a 19-year-old who has suffered from a skin disorder called Aquagenic Urticaria for the last 5 years. When her skin is exposed to water (like in a shower, pool, or bath) it reacts and forms sore, itchy red lumps that don’t go away for a couple of hours. The type of water doesn’t matter. It can be pure spring water, distilled or even tap water.
Allergic to everything
And how about the story of Laura Weaver. Her skin condition makes her allergic to almost everything. This includes compounds found in fragrances, but also includes natural things like dairy products, some fruits, wheat, and peanuts. The advice to use “natural” ingredients is terrible for Laura. In fact, she only gets relief by using products like Eucerin
Beauty Brains Bottom Line
While most people are not allergic to any of the chemicals they are normally exposed to in cosmetics, some people are. These allergies can be to synthetic ingredients, but also natural things like fruit extracts, wheat, peanuts, and even water. Blindly following the advice of natural ingredient based cosmetic marketers is not recommended. Everyone is different and only through personal experimentation can you find what works best for you.
Do you have an allergy that makes your skin break out? Leave a comment and let the rest of the Beauty Brains community know. And if you’re not sure, read our previous post on how to tell the difference between irritation and an allergic response.
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I have autoimmune chronic urticaria and am sensitive to practically everything. Especially salicylates and benzoates and any essential oils and tons of “natural” things. I have to read every product’s ingredient list before I buy and sometimes I still get it wrong. It is hard to figure out, and sad because I can’t use any of my favorite body products anymore. Luckily I have been ok with makeup … this disease has made e give up my career as a makeup artist, but now I get to be a beauty blogger so it isn’t too bad. I can only eat 12 things without breaking out or having my throat swell, so that sucks. But there is much worse things to have. Unlike poor Ashleigh, I can have a cool shower ever 2 – 3 days.
It seems that people are getting more food allergies then ever before. I am not sure about cosmetic ingredients, but it’s probably true as well. I grew up in Europe, and have never heard of anyone being allegic to food or perfume until I moved to US.
I have a tree nut allergy and usually don’t have too many problems with lotions and makeup. Just recently tried a new lotion that when I first put it on made my skin feel great. A few minutes later I broke into a nasty rash. When I checked the ingredients on the label, there were several nut extracts listed. I am much more careful about checking now.
Arsenic and various toxins that cause food poisoning and shellfish poisoning are natural. The latter case is of special concern for people who are into “natural products” because companies that sell blue-green algae nutritional supplements harvest their algae by simply skimming it from lakes…without checking to see if what they’re harvesting is purely the species they claim to be selling, or contains toxic species of algae.
I admit, I tend to lean toward “natural,” but more because “natural” often means “has been extensively beta-tested for about 4,000 years.” As a result, any problems are likely to have become evident.
Even then, that’s not always the case, tobacco being a prime example. It as “natural” as the sunrise, it kills people, and we keep on using it. And strictly speaking, cocaine is also “natural,” right? In concentrations that are about a zillionth of the end-product, but natural is natural.
The best way to approach “natural” products is to think, check facts, and use a healthy skepticism. Surprise, surprise, that’s also the best approach to take for synthetic products.
For someone with a water allergy, natural products might be her best bet. Any established naturals company avoids using water in its products. Instead, the base is comprised of oils.
Duh. Way to do your research, Beauty Brains!
So disappointed in you for only presenting what you want to do. You are very biased, no matter how you try to hide it.
Also, petrochemicals…are…extremely…bothersome to skin and the earth.
How many people do you actually know with aquagenic urticaria? What’s your basis for saying synthetic products cannot have an oil base?
I am confused by Elizabeth’s comment, and find it unnecessarily rude. Of course natural companies use water in their products. There is no popular understanding nor any requirement from any of the natural/organic certification bodies that natural means oil-based. There are probably a few specialist companies that only sell balms and oils, but almost all natural companies’ skincare products have water in them.
Janis – your tobacco example is a an excellent one that proves natural does not always equal safe. But it also shows that thousands of years of using something natural does not mean people always figured out its harmful effects. It’s only relatively recently that science showed something that was widely used for a long time was extremely harmful. There are probably other natural substances whose longterm effects were not obvious to people regularly using them.
Also, I often see natural equated with being used for a long time. But many natural ingredients are relatively new (in terms of being extracted and used, however old the plants themselves are), so it’s no more true as a strict rule that natural=used for a long time than it is that natural=safe. Some synthetics have been in use longer than some natural substances.
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