We learn more and more about harmfulness of conventional beauty product each day, and it seems that people are actually starting to take this seriously. The impact on planet may seem too far and small to worry us, but when we hear how it may affect our skin and overall health, we see that there are many rational reasons to give up synthetic cosmetics all together. Still, if you are switching to natural cosmetic, you must know that the label “organic” is not always enough to be sure the product does not contain any harmful artificial ingredients, since the standards for this sort of cosmetics are yet to be developed and implemented in all countries. Until then, you will have to manage with this guide.

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Ingredients to Avoid

Perhaps on the label says “organic” with bold capital letters, but you must look the small almost invisible letters which will tell you what exactly are the ingredients of the specific product. Let us take a look of the list of the ingredients you should avoid:

  • Preservatives – these ingredients are used to preserve the product from bacterial growth, but nevertheless they are chemicals which can harm your skin. Some of the preservatives that are being used in cosmetics are ethyl paraben , butyl paraben, propyl paraben, methyl paraben, and dazolidinyl urea. Natural alternatives are essential oils, honey, vinegar, Vitamins A, C and E, etc.
  • Emollients – Although they are meant for moisturizing, emollients can prevent toxins from leaving the skin, in the process of preventing water to do the same.
  • Fragrances contain thousands of chemicals, and one of them simply must be bad for your skin. Buy products without synthetic fragrances or the ones with organic essential oils instead.
  • Solvents should be used with caution. Be careful with labels with propylene glycol, acetone, benzene, hexane, and butylene glycol.
  • Colorants are added to products with the intention to make them look prettier. They can be very harmful, since synthetic colorants are derived from coal tar. Natural alternatives are paprika, saffron, annatto, turmeric, beets and caramel.

Know the Standards for Organic Cosmetics

As we already mentioned, different countries have different standards for organic products and when purchasing a product from a specific country, you need to be familiar with its rules. Standards and certifications are very important as a guarantee to consumers that the products are truly ‘green’ but also as directions to manufacturers about some rules to obey. A large number of standards have been introduced in the previous years, although most of them on a national basis. The regulations for organic cosmetics in UK for instance, guarantee that 95% of the product ‘s farmed ingredients will be organic, but in other European countries, US and Australia that amount is similar. Other certifications you should look for are Cosmos, Ecocert, BDIH, USDA and NaTrue.

Buy the Product, Not the Whole Line

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Finding a retailer you trust can be very helpful in buying organic cosmetics without constantly being wide awake for frauds. Still, you must be aware that if a single product from a beauty line is marked and certified as organic and all the ingredients match that label, that does not necessarily means that the other products from that retailer are the same. When buying organic, you must check carefully every product, no matter how daunting that may seem.

Do Not Expect a 100% Organic

Sure, you need to be vigilant, but you cannot expect for a product to be 100 percent organic. First, you need to know that a vast majority of products uses water, which cannot be certified as organic, because it is not organically grown. Other similar ingredients are minerals (which can lower the percentage of organic ingredients), salts (yes, even Himalayan) and wild crafted ingredients that are not grown by men, but naturally occurring.

As you see, the question is not whether or not you should use organic cosmetics, but how to buy it and be sure it is as natural as it should be. These guidelines should make that process much easier for you, at least until there are some clear rules and regulations of this area.