MYTH: If it says “natural” it must be good for my skin.
FACT: There are no regulations on what “natural” means.
Any product can say natural, no matter what is in it. There are actually synthetic products that are good for the skin, or can do what we intend, but we tend to think a natural product will be best. “Consumers should not necessarily assume that an ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ ingredient or product would possess greater inherent safety than another chemically identical version of the same ingredient,” Dr. Linda M. Katz, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors (New York Times, November 1, 2007). “In fact, ‘natural’ ingredients may be harder to preserve against microbial contamination and growth than synthetic raw materials.” Some people are actually prone to more problems when they use fruit and plant extracts on their skin, as some can be irritating. It is also good to know that packaging plays a big part in a product. Most state-of-the- art ingredients, especially antioxidants, plant extracts, vitamins, and cell-communicating ingredients, deteriorate in the presence of air. If packaged in a jar these ingredients will not be stable long after exposure to the air, and you’ll just be putting on an ineffective product. This is why we are seeing more and more products in pump type containers.
