How Can I Tell a Quality Skincare Moisturizer from a Mass Produced Cheap Variety?
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Apparently, there are hundreds of moisturizing products available in the market today. However, with the growing awareness on the debilitating effects of harsh chemical ingredients on some cheap and mass produced moisturizers, people are now switching to natural and organic skin moisturizers. But according to the article titled "Natural, Organic Beauty", which was published in the New York Times, the absence of FDA standards on natural and organic personal care products is quite disturbing. When there are no strict regulations that control product labelling and often misleading product claims such as herbal, pure, botanical and organic, the general public is left to be responsible in verifying the authenticity of the natural and organic moisturizing products that they buy.
So how can you tell quality from among the many selections of natural or organic skincare moisturizers? How can you tell whether or not the product is actually organic or a fad? The solution is actually simple. Turn the bottle and scan the list of product ingredients. If you find a row of ingredient name that is quite hard to pronounce, then that product is definitely not "pure", "natural" or "organic".
Watch out for ingredients that are petroleum-based, synthetic and artificial as there is a good chance that they might actually be toxic on your skin. Have you ever heard of the "dirty dozen"? It is actually a list of 12 worst ingredients for skincare products. The list includes petroleum distillates, p-phenylenediamine, parabens, hydroquinone, antibacterials, coal tars, 1,4-dioxane, fragrance, mercury, lead, nanoparticles and formaldehyde. These are ingredients that are derived from non-renewable petroleum or natural gas, which incidentally causes a wide array of disturbing health effects.
To determine a good quality skincare moisturizer, it has to carry five main ingredients; cell communicating ingredients, antioxidants, sunscreen, skin identical ingredients, and ingredients that make the product fit the needs of certain skin types. Moisturizers also deliver topically applied antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E, beta-carotene, green tea, grape, soy, and pomegranate extracts, in addition to other fruit and plant extracts. These ingredients are responsible in limiting free radical damage and assist in skin healing and collagen production. Identical skin ingredients like elastin, cholesterol, amino acids and proteins are responsible for mimicking the actual structure of the skin as its way of preventing loss of moisture. Cell communicating ingredients like lecithin helps reduce cellular damage by strengthening the skin’s supportive elements. Sunscreen is a common moisturizing feature, which protects against the harmful effects of UV sun rays. Lastly, choose the product that fits your skin type. Thicker creams and balms are for dry skin, moisturizing lotions and serums are for normal skin.
To keep the skin healthy and properly hydrated, you need to invest on a good quality moisturizing product to get effective skin protection as well as improve skin tone and texture. Do not get easily lulled by misleading terms like hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic and cruelty-free as they are not regulated or even defined by the government or independent third parties. The Biological farmers of Australia (BFA), EcoCert, BDIH, Leaping Bunny label and the USDA Certified Organic seal are the main organizations that assure high-quality authentic organic-based skincare products.
