The word “natural” seems to come up more and more in skin care products. Evidently many people will buy a product just because the label has “natural” or “chemical-free” somewhere on it. There is absolutely no scientific research backing the statement that “natural” ingrediets are better for skin than “chemicals”. Even the term “natural” is questionable, and it is not even regulated, so each skin care company can use this term as they please. Most claims about skin care products containing “natural” ingredients are false – either because despite of the statement the product still contains many “unnatural” substances, or the “natural” ingredients it does contain are not beneficial for the skin and sometimes are even harmful.
Just because something grows out of the ground does not make it good for skin, and it is usually a small element of a plant that has the beneficial qualities. Extracting this element from the plant always requires an “unnatural” process, yet many companies still claim to be 100% natural, and usually list a natural ingredient description next to the chemical term on the label.
Also, it is important to remember that many natural ingredients cause allergies, irritation, and even further skin problems. For example, one of the more popular ingredients in natural skin care is citrus, yet citrus is a strong acid and is very irritating to the skin.
All of the following natural ingredients can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions:
There are many natural ingredients which are excellent for skin, but it is the delicate balance of both natural and synthetic substances which will have most effect on the skin.