Natural vs. Synthetic Cosmetics

Are we heading to beauty or to a health catastrophe? Do all the products in a cosmetics counter offer us good or are we just wasting precious dollars on something that isn’t there in the first place?

“Face your problem”. Easier said than done, when your problem happens to be your face!

Acne problems, blackheads and whiteheads and other facial skin blemishes have tormented women since the days of Cleopatra. Wanting to look good is as perennial as the grass.

The “search” for the fountains of youth and beauty has become so elusive; we are still searching for it today. This insatiable appetite for beauty and unfading youth has turned cosmetics manufacturing into one of the world’s most profitable industries.

Cosmetic product lines metamorphosed like butterflies, from pupa to larvae to the full- grown multi-colored winged insect. Try to visit your local store’s cosmetics counter and you will see what we mean!

But how safe are cosmetics?

Soaps for example. Did you know that most antibacterial soaps in the cosmetics counter today may have contained hexachlorophene which was believed to have caused damage to the brain in the 1960s? Worse, it was learned to have caused deaths on some infants when it was absorbed through the skin.

The skin is supposed to absorb nothing, right? The skin was believed to be impenetrable like a leather shoe. But ancient methods of healing, as well as recent studies have cast a cloud of suspicion on this statement.

Synthetic-based cosmetics may contain any of the 75,000 chemicals let loose in the market today. Long exposure to any of these chemicals, may have irreversible effects on health.

Herbs and other natural remedies have been used for centuries, largely by the Chinese and Native Americans. They were proven effective, but will cosmetics manufacturers subscribe to the idea?

Some cosmetics manufacturers adhered to the dictates of consumer safety, thus, they began producing cosmetics from natural ingredients, but mass production posted some concerns:

Cosmetic moisturizer need emulsifiers to keep its oil and water contents cling longer. Strong synthetic ingredients are needed as preservatives. Foam builders, synthetic colors and thickeners make up cosmetics with commercial appeal and less expensive than the use of natural ingredients.

It is a battle between commercialism and professional commitment to deliver only what is good and safe to the consumer. And it is only the consumer who can tip the balance.