Do you spend a fortune because you believe the advertising claims? Do you buy products because of their brand names? Do you know what ingredients are inside the fancy packaging? Help your body and skin by taking interest in what is behind the labels.

Over the last 30 years, only 9 of those 10,500 ingredients in personal care products have been banned or restricted. Natural ingredients evolve over millions of years. It’s expensive to make truly natural/organic products without chemicals and synthetic processing.

Some brands have labels that may be misleading. Check one of your beauty products and read the ingredients. Maybe you don’t know what they are, or whether they are good for you — or your children! And yet you care about what you eat, and about your health, and the health of others, right? In the same way, we should take care that what we feed our skin is as natural and free of chemicals.

Your skin breathes and absorbs

It’s worth remembering that the skin is our biggest organ and it breathes. Yes, the skin breathes through the pores. Everything you put on your skin will be absorbed into your body. Synthetic ingredients (chemicals and toxins) accumulate in your body – we eliminate only some of them. Those that we store may create allergies or illnesses.

Note: babies cannot eliminate toxins!

Read the labels

Looking for natural, organic ingredients means understanding the labels. But it’s not easy. One helpful rule you could use is:

If you can’t pronounce it, or you wouldn’t eat it, then don’t put it on your skin!

False claims

You will find many products that claim to be ‘natural’ or ‘organic,’ but do they contain only ingredients harvested and processed without a chemical reaction? If not, the claims may be misleading. These products are currently not required to comply with the strict organic food standards maintained by organizations such as the BFA and NASAA in Australia, and the USDA in America.

Water is the main ingredient in many cosmetics, so some brands claim they use floral water, or organic hydrosols, to ‘green wash’ their products. And some claim their products are organic and yet use synthetic, toxic ingredients that would never be allowed in organic foods. This practice has the potential to harm the integrity of the organic name.

Look for the certified organic logo

Look for products that have the logo ‘Certified Organic’. They are safe and beneficial to your health and your skin, and are recognized by a third, independent party. This guarantees there are no synthetics. Check if the logo is the authentic one. Some brands create their own ‘certified organic logo’, which may be misleading.

Once you know how to read labels, it’s easy to find the best products for your skin that are made from simple, organic ingredients, or the “bad stuff” that contains chemicals that are harmful or potentially toxic. Your skin will thank you!

do you know what’s in the products you put on your skin