Whether you’re new to skincare or simply just starting out, we’re oftentimes bombarded with the latest skincare trends, advice, and miracle ingredients. With a sea of information, it can be hard to discern what’s a valid suggestion or simply a bust. Let’s discuss some of the hot trends swarming the internet.
- Natural and organic skincare are the best for the skin.
- You should refrigerate your skincare.
- Preservative free skincare is better.
Natural and organic doesn’t mean safe or effective.
The connotation of natural ingredients is often associated with the freshest, minimally processed ingredients found in nature. If only it could be that simple. Although these ingredients can be minimally processed, this doesn’t guarantee safety or efficacy of the material. Natural earth minerals often used in cosmetics can be gathered from the earth surface. If not processed and purified correctly, they may contain harmful traces of heavy metals and substances.
Likewise, can be said about organic ingredients. Although organically sourced, ingredients that are not properly processed can be harmful in our products. Just because an apple is organic, it doesn’t mean the seeds are free of potentially harmful amygdalin, or cyanide when crushed. More often than not the quality of natural and organic ingredients comes down to the method of processing.
In the world of skincare there’s a benefit to combining different ingredients to achieve a high performance product, not just under the constraints of natural or organic. Naturally-derived modified ingredients and synthetic ingredients serve great benefits when used properly in skincare. With these ingredients, it’s possible to achieve greater ingredient purity, which can lead to safer, results-driven skincare compared to natural and organic counterparts.
The grey area of refrigerating products.
With the rise of popularity of skincare mini fridges, it’s tempting to throw every product under the moon into a chilled cubby. Whether it’s an attempt to enhance the cooling effect of face masks or to promote the longevity of products, it’s important to take a step back and consider the effects of refrigeration on a product’s performance.
Skincare products are typically formulated with the intent of being used at room temperature. Either extremes, hot or cold, can lead to product instability. When products are exposed to cooler temperatures individualized ingredients may crystallize, forming an undesirable rough texture during application. The greater impact of this instability in the product is the lowered delivery potential of skin beneficial ingredients to the skin. Though there are testing measures to combat issues in chilled products, it’s generally not recommended to cool products for extended amounts of time.
Preservatives are essential in skincare.
Product safety is arguably the most important aspect of any skincare product. There’s a reason why preservatives are in products. It’s to protect you, the user from the nasties of yeast, mold, and bacteria. Sure, preservatives free products sound less toxic but on the contrary, skin contamination and infections as the result of unpreserved products can be more harmful to the health. Where there’s water, there’s a humid environment for microorganisms to grow. Therefore, all water containing products should contain some amount of preservatives. It’s also important to note that most products claiming preservative free contains non-traditional preservatives to uphold this claim. Preservatives are in the final product nonetheless.