Peter Clark asked:


The skin care and anti aging and cosmetics industry is a huge industry, worth, by some estimates, around $50 billion. And there are many many companies making skin care products, including so called natural skin care products, as well as cosmetics, beauty products, hair, and body care products, and more. Hair colorings, hair removal, anti aging products, body oils, dry skin treatments, oily skin treatments and so on and so on.

When there are so many products available to you to satisfy every need you could ever have to purchase a product to pamper every part of your body, why would you want to bother searching out “natural” products, including natural skin care products.

First let me say there is no formal definition of “natural” skin care products. However it’s quite possible to compare the different types of skin care and anti aging products by looking at what’s available to you on the market.

First there is, of course, the big brand name products. I’m sure you know the ones I mean. Saturation TV advertising, their skin care products seen on the shelves of just about every department store.

Would it surprise you to know that many of these big brand name products, probably most, are not considered to be effective, and have ingredients which are often suspect or even downright dangerous?

Yes it’s true, the skin care industry isn’t effectively regulated, and they can put just about anything they want into their products. The FDA doesn’t require these products to be tested for safety or efficacy.

Here’s just one example, but there are many. Recent tests showed lead in over 50% of big brand name lipsticks tested, to the point where the State of California, at least, has banned lead in lipsticks.

There’s many other examples of suspect or dangerous ingredients in our body care, hair care, skin care and nail care products and just about all of our beauty and personal use products like simple shampoos and toothpastes.

On the other hand there are companies, one in particular, that make extremely effective and safe natural skin care products.

By “natural” this means naturally occurring ingredients which are known to be safe for human use.
Here’s some examples.

Shea butter, extracted from the seed of a tree. An extremely effective natural moisturizer.

Jojoba oil from the nut of the Jojoba plant, very high in natural anti oxidants that are very good for natural skin health.

Grape seed oil, extracted from the seeds of various grape varieties, high in natural fatty acids and anti oxidants and also an excellent natural skin moisturizer.

And more, there’s many many naturally occurring substances that aren’t made in a lab, and are extremely effective when added to a natural skin care range of products.

However it’s not sufficient for a company to use naturally occurring ingredients in it’s skin care and anti aging products. To be truly “natural” the company needs to have a commitment to producing and using these ingredients safely. Because it’s quite possible to change the makeup of an ingredient in the process used to extract it, particularly by the use of heat. And this can make a useful naturally occurring ingredient quite useless.

An example is keratin, a naturally occurring part of skin hair and nails. Keratin is used by the big brand name companies, however it is extracted from the horns and hooves of animals by heat, thereby changing it’s makeup to a less useful form.

The best manufacturer of natural skin care products has a commitment to using only naturally occurring ingredients that are both safe for human use and also effective. In fact their brief is to produce the worlds best natural skin care products that are safe enough to eat.

So despite the fact that there is no formal definition of natural skin care products, an examination of both the ingredients used in skin care products combined with an examination of the company’s philosophy about the production of it’s products will establish quite clearly what the best “natural skin care products” are.

Georgina Clay asked:


There are many ways to repair skin damage and maintain its youthful appearance. It could be as simple as following basic skin care, avoiding those that lead to skin damage and finding all natural skin care products ideal for your type of skin. The problem, however, is that there are so many different creams and skin care products out there. Skin care tips are sometimes contradictory that the once simple solution to skin damage became more baffling.

There is no best cream for everyone but there is such a thing as healthiest cream for your skin. This is because people’s skin type differs. Some are oilier while some are drier. Some are more tolerant of the sun’s rays while some are more sensitive. A person’s lifestyle should also dictate on which cream to purchase. This is because people can be exposed to different triggers that cause free radicals. This means that all natural skin care products you have to purchase should focus on protection your skin needs the most.

The first thing one has to consider when buying the healthiest cream is its protection against the sun. Long exposure to the sun has been long proven to lead to skin damage that sunscreen is one of the best bets for choosing one. Being exposed to the sun for long hours has many consequences including sun spots, discoloration, dryness and wrinkles.

The condition of the skin will inevitably deteriorate with time but it can be slowed down with apt skin regimen and all natural skin care products. There are a few components that your cream has to have to guarantee that it would help you keep that youthful glow. The first one is antioxidants. Free radicals lead to oxidation which has been considered to be a culprit in the process of skin aging. Antioxidants, such as vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E have been known to kill free radicals and keep the cells of the skin healthy. Having these ingredients in your skin care products would definitely prove to be beneficial.

Products with water and oil need preservatives to prevent bacterial growth after they are opened. Most skin care products contain preservatives, such as quaternium-15 and imidazolidynyl urea, that sometimes cause skin irritation. For people who have skin reactions from these preservatives, it is best to resort to all natural skin care products.

Another main consideration is the moisturizing properties of the cream. Moisturizers, in all natural skin care products, can hold water in the outermost layer of skin. Aside from that, they also act as a temporary barrier that allows damaged cells of the skin to be repaired on their own. Again, it all depends on the type of your skin. For normal to oily skin, water-based moisturizers are best to avoid that greasy feeling. On the other hand, those with dry skin and mature skin may need more moisturizing components that it has to be oil-based.

It is not enough to use the cream that suits your skin best. You still have follow a basic skin care regimen and avoid other factors that lead to skin damage. A multi-level strategy might just do wonders for skin repair and its maintenance. Having a well-balanced diet and having a healthy lifestyle can also improve the condition of your skin.