Shampoos, hand creams, antiaging serums—not only are they designed to make you look better, they now come in "natural" or "organic" formulas. While nature's beautifiers, such as skin-softening olive oil and witch hazel, a natural astringent, have long been popular, the natural personal-care market has taken off in recent years, growing 50 percent since 2000. The reasons are twofold: increasing concern about the environment, and greater interest in holistic and homeopathic medicine. And according to experts, green products work just as well as their synthetic counterparts.
"The ingredients [in organic and natural products] are biocompatible with our bodies and more readily absorbed," says Barbara Close, founder of Naturopathica, a botanical skin-care line. "Plants contain active ingredients that help aid in skin functions." Willow bark, for example, is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps reduce redness.
The products may also be healthier because they contain no chemicals or preservatives. A 2003 study by the Harvard School of Public Health shows that the body absorbs much of what we put on our skin. Ellen Marmur, MD, chief of dermatology and cosmetic surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, agrees that going green is a wise idea.
"Organics and naturals are better than most cosmetics with chemicals, not just from an environmental perspective, but from a medical one," Marmur says. "There's evidence suggesting a link between chemically derived ingredients, such as parabens [a group of chemicals commonly used as preservatives], and cancers. The fear is that these chemicals may be absorbed systemically, where they accumulate in tissue, possibly causing cancer."
Keep in mind, however, that "organic" and "natural" are not interchangeable terms. "Organic" refers to a method of farming in which plants and botanicals are grown on land that is free of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides. The USDA divides these products into three categories: "100% Organic," "Organic" (contains 95 percent organic ingredients) and "Made With Organic Ingredients" (contains at least 70 percent organic ingredients). The USDA Organic Seal verifies a product's authenticity.
"Natural" means the product was created from botanical sources without additives or preservatives; the soil in which these plants are grown isn't taken into consideration. Natural products are not federally regulated, so they may contain synthetic ingredients. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is proposing that natural products contain no ingredients known to cause human-health risks and is advocating for regulatory standards for natural and organic personal-care products. In other words, green products may be here to stay.
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