Organic Beauty for our Organic Planet

The Benefits of Organic Beauty

What if you could offer your body organic beauty products that are not only beneficial to your skin, BUT can help the environment too – you would feel pretty good about yourself, right?

Well, that is the amazing thing about choosing to go beauty organic. Organic beauty products can make you feel good on the inside as well as on the outside.

How can beauty organic products help the environment?

It does seem like a tall order. After all, what does lipstick have to do with pollution? But that is the thing. They are more inter-related than you think.

FACT: Women use up to 12 different beauty products a day, which combined contain approximately 168 ingredients. Some of these ingredients have been linked to cancer, hormone imbalances and reproductive toxicity (fertility problems).

FACT: 10,500 industrial chemicals are used as ingredients in cosmetic products including pesticides, reproductive toxins, plasticisers, surfactants, degreasers, carcinogens and endocrine disruptors (which can cause reproductive and neurological damage, as well as lower immunity).

FACT: Chemical ingredients BHA, BHT, triclosan and siloxanes are harmful to fish and other types of wildlife.

• Plasticisers can: affect animal reproduction; cause genetic abnormalities, and harm the development of amphibians. They can also mess with the functionality of hormone systems.
• Many of the chemical components in cosmetic products don’t breakdown but can accumulate (over time) in your body e.g. when phthalates pass into water they tend can accumulate in fish and mammals, affecting their reproductive systems. Another example of this is microbeads in toothpastes and facial scrubs. As they are too small to be picked up by sewage treatment works, they tend to end up in rivers, causing water pollution as they can stay in the environment for up to 50 years.

FACT: Most chemicals used in makeup end up washed into rivers, lakes and streams, before getting transferred to other places by rain (water cycle) including farms, fields and woodland.

FACT: Many man-made makeups use harsh substances such as petroleum, aluminium and lead within their formulation. The problem with this is that each of these ingredients needs to be extensively mined from places such as the Amazon Rainforest, resulting in miles upon miles of destroyed land and lost homes for wildlife.

Add all of these facts together and what you have got is long term damage being done to land, seas and wildlife.

Luckily, organic beauty products hold the key to reducing this environmental impact.

1. They don’t use petroleum during the fabrication process, making them super eco-friendly.
2. Organic makeup promotes fair trade and doesn’t require the use of animal testing.
3. Organic makeup is formulated from nutrient rich, natural ingredients that contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. There are no synthetic or chemical ingredients involved, meaning there are less pollutants entering your body.

And this last point is especially important given that up to 60% of the products we use on our bodies are absorbed partially or completely into our bloodstream.

Given the choice between absorbing petroleum by-products and synthetic chemicals or natural plant oils and waxes – you want something that is safe, natural and good for you. Only organic beauty products can make such promises…

Why are organic beauty products better for you?

Cosmetics may make you look great, but once inside your body they can have some pretty nasty side effects. Take the following ingredients commonly found in your favourite makeup brands. Each of these can trigger an array of problems:

• Artificial colours – Azo dyes for example are a risk to asthmatics, as well as to those with eczema and whom are sensitive to aspirin. As a whole, artificial colours can cause severe headaches, blurred vision and itchy eyes.
• DEA, MEA, TEA – all of these can produce allergic reactions; irritate your eyes, and can dry out your hair and skin.
• Dibutyl phthalate – can cause birth defects in animals as well as damage the male reproductive system.
• Formaldehydes – can initiate skin reactions.
• Fragrances – can contain up to 200 undeclared substances which can bring about skin irritation and allergies; dizziness and hyperpigmentation.
• Keratolytic chemicals – highly corrosive (yet used in skin peels), this chemical can dissolve the outermost layer of your skin making it sensitive to sun damage.

Get the idea? Whilst their makeup intentions may be noble; when actually used they can cause an array of side effects – none of which are pleasant.

What are organic beauty products?

A product can only call itself organic if it is USDA certified organic. This means up to 95% of its organic ingredients are derived from plant sources, and are grown free from pesticides, bioengineered genes and petroleum-based fertilisers. In addition, they are farmed using organic farming methods which encourage the use of recycled sources and the promotion of biodiversity.

What does that mean for you?

To put it simply, organic beauty products are free from any type of harsh chemical (such as parabens and phthalates), and won’t cause skin irritations or breakouts, as they are completely natural. Even the fragrances they use come from natural oils, meaning they won’t trigger any nasty allergic reactions.

But that is not all…

Organic beauty products can also offer you the following benefits:

• Green ingredients – these are rich in nutrients that can help to promote a healthier, more youthful appearance. Take for example cocoa butter. This natural moisturiser is overflowing in omega-3 fatty acids which can help to smooth your skin and keep it healthy.
• Antioxidant extracts – thanks to their use of pomegranate, grape, white tea and apricots, these extracts (particular Vitamin C) can help protect your skin from free radicals and sun exposure. They can also inhibit collagenase and elastase which are known to break down the integrity and elasticity of your skin.
• SPFs – many natural ingredients can help to protect your epidermis and prevent premature aging. And this is great news given that most cosmetics require you to use SPF formulas separately. Organic beauty products offer you this protection directly from their natural formulation. Similarly, their use of natural minerals can protect the thin layer of skin on your face from lasting UV damage.
• Sulphate free – ironically many luxury makeup brands use drying agents within their moisturisers, lip balms and conditioners. Organic beauty products will actually do their job and will moisturise your skin.
• Natural fragrance – like we mentioned before, man-made fragrances have been linked to cancer, nervous system disorders, allergies and birth defects. Natural fragrances (essential oils) on the other hand, can offer you a subtle and safe aroma which only needs to be applied in the smallest of dabs.
• Cheaper (in the long run) – that’s right! You’re likely to spend less on organic beauty products, than fancy makeup brands due to their long term benefits and use of natural ingredients.

Given a choice, is there really any competition between the two? Of course there isn’t!

If you want to learn more about beauty, you should look at AssociationofLearning for online courses.