Everyone is talking about “Natural” Skin Care - But what does Natural mean?
The term “Natural Skin Care Products” is buzzing everywhere - splashed across magazine pages, touted on TV, and flooding our social media feeds. But let's pause and ask: what does “natural” actually mean in the context of a cream or serum? When a brand slaps that label on its packaging, what rules, what regulations, are they following? It might shock you - or perhaps just confirm your suspicions - to learn that there is no strict, legally binding definition for "natural" in most major markets, including the US and the EU. It's largely unregulated, a 'Wild West' of marketing claims. So, let's dive into this murky, often misleading world of “Natural Skin Care Products” and see what lies beneath the green-tinted surface.
The dictionary defines "natural" as something “existing in or derived from nature; not made or caused by humankind.” By this very definition, it's paradoxical for any product formulated in a lab – mixing A with B, adding a preservative C – to claim it is natural. As soon as we, as formulators or manufacturers, intervene to create a stable, usable product, we’ve moved beyond pure nature.
And frankly, it infuriates me how this term is being stretched and abused. It’s often deliberately tangled with "organic," another term that, while more regulated, still faces its own set of interpretations and loopholes in the skincare sphere. This isn't just semantics; it's a tactic that preys on our desire for Purity and safety.
What Do We Think "Natural" Means?
When ethically-minded formulators (and discerning consumers) talk about "natural," what they usually mean is "naturally derived" . This implies that the ingredients originate from nature – plants, minerals, sometimes animals – and have undergone processing, but ideally, processing that keeps them as close as possible to their original state.
Take Olive Oil (Olea Europaea Fruit Oil). High-quality, extra-virgin olive oil is produced through mechanical means – crushing olives and using a centrifuge to separate the oil. This physical process yields a product rich in oleic acid, linoleic acid, and valuable polyphenols. It's processed, yes, but minimally enough that most would consider it a "natural" ingredient.
Contrast this with Olive Pomace Oil. This isn't a gentle pressing; it's an industrial extraction using chemical solvents, often hexane, to wring the last drops of oil from the leftover pulp. The resulting oil is heavily refined and can contain solvent residues. Can we, in good conscience, call this "natural"? I argue strongly against it, yet it can still hide under vague "natural" claims.
The Coconut Oil Conundrum: A "Natural" Craze Under Scrutiny
Ah, Coconut Oil. I know this is a beloved ingredient, and I’m bracing myself for the negative comments, but we really need to talk about it. Despite its current reign as a "natural" superstar, its journey from the coconut fruit growing on the tree to that snazzy looking jar on your supermarket shelf often involves more than you think.
Unfortunately the process of extracting oil from the wet flesh isn't simple. Let's examine how it's done.
- The Dry Method: The flesh is often dried (sometimes in kilns, producing "copra"), it's then pressed. Solvents are frequently used in this stage, especially for refined (RBD - Refined, Bleached, Deodorized) coconut oil, to maximize yield. Does "solvent-extracted" coconut oil sound natural to you?
- The Wet Method: This process aims to separate the oil from the coconut milk. Sometimes enzymes or heating are used to facilitate this separation, followed by centrifuging. While arguably "more natural" than solvent extraction, it's still significant processing.
Even "virgin" coconut oil, which avoids high heat and solvents, is processed. And many cosmetic-grade coconut oils are deodorized. They need to be, otherwise they would be unpleasant to use. While the industry considers these natural, the reality is actually much more complex. Can we be sure no solvent residues remain in the final product? What about the potential alteration of its nutrient and chemical profile?
And let's not forget its impact on the skin. I once had a client plagued by severe acne, extending to her scalp and neck. Her secret? An "all-natural" routine: pure coconut oil for cleansing and moisturizing. The aha! moment came when she admitted needing to do multiple washes with harsh soap just to remove the greasy film. She was, in effect, stripping her skin barrier daily. Beyond the over-cleansing nightmare, coconut oil is highly comedogenic (pore-clogging) for many skin types and its pH (around 7-8) can disrupt the skin's naturally acidic mantle (pH ~4.5-5.5), potentially disturbing the skin microbiome – the delicate ecosystem crucial for skin health. So, next time you see that jar, please, think twice before putting it on your face. It's a fantastic cooking oil (although it's a saturated-trans fat), it's at best a highly questionable skincare saviour.
"Naturally Derived" vs. "Nature Identical"
The Synthetic Imposter
So we've looked at "nature derived," but what about "nature identical"? This term often pops up, and it usually means 100% synthetic. These are ingredients created in a lab to chemically mimic a molecule found in nature.
Why use them? Often, because sourcing the actual natural ingredient is unsustainable, unreliable, or prohibitively expensive.
Consider Strawberry Fragrance Oil . That sweet, summery scent you find in everything from bath bombs to lip balms? It almost certainly contains zero actual strawberries. It's a carefully crafted blend of synthetic chemicals (like ethyl methylphenylglycidate, also known as 'strawberry aldehyde') designed to trick our noses. Why? Because extracting oil from those tiny strawberry seeds is practically impossible, and the fruit itself is mostly water and sugar. There's no such thing as "strawberry essential oil." It’s a synthetic construct, yet it often hides behind a "natural fruit scent" facade.
The Lawless Land of "Natural" Claims
Here’s the hard truth: There's no specific law preventing a company from labelling its concoction "natural," no matter how many synthetic ingredients or harsh processes are involved. While advertising standards bodies (like the FTC in the US or the ASA in the UK) do prohibit outright lying, the lack of a legal definition for "natural" creates a massive loophole. It’s subjective, making it incredibly difficult for regulators to challenge these claims effectively.
A quick search yields billions of hits for "natural skin care." It's a marketing behemoth, preying on our inherent – and understandable – desire to avoid "chemicals." But here’s the kicker: Everything is a chemical. Water is H 2 O. Salt is NaCl. The very building blocks of "natural" ingredients are chemicals. Claiming a product is "chemical-free" isn't just misleading; it's a scientific impossibility and, in my view, an outright lie.
The crucial question isn't "Is it natural?" but "Is it safe, effective, and well-formulated?" Rubbing natural salt on your skin daily will cause significant irritation. Many "natural" essential oils contain potent allergens (like limonene, linalool, geraniol) or can be phototoxic. Untouched nature isn't always benign. Cosmetic science exists to create products that work with our skin, safely and effectively.
The Deception on our Shelves: A Real-World Example
I recently saw a product in a major pharmacy, proudly labelled "Natural," boasting its "all-natural ingredients." The ingredient list told a different story. Right after Water (Aqua), the second ingredient was Alcohol Denat. (Denatured Alcohol). This is ethanol deliberately made undrinkable by adding chemicals like isopropyl alcohol or acetone – it's wholly unnatural and known to be drying and potentially irritating, capable of compromising the skin barrier. The list continued with ingredients like Butylene Glycol and Phenoxyethanol – common, effective (and often necessary) synthetic cosmetic ingredients, but far from "natural" in any meaningful sense. Yet, the label screamed "Natural." It’s this kind of blatant greenwashing that undermines consumer trust and makes navigating skincare so challenging.
"Organic" vs. "Natural": Clearing up the Confusion
Aren't they the same? Absolutely not . "Organic" refers specifically to the farming methods used for plant or animal ingredients – primarily, the absence of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Unlike "natural," "organic" is regulated, often by third-party certifiers (like USDA, ECOCERT, or COSMOS).
But here’s another shocker. A product doesn't need to be 100% organic to be labelled as such.
- Water cannot be certified organic, yet it often forms 50-80% of a product.
- Certification standards vary. For example, COSMOS Organic requires 95% of the plant ingredients to be organic, but only 20% of the total product must be organic (10% for rinse-off products).
- Many preservatives, crucial for safety, are not available in organic forms.
So, while "organic" claims have more legal weight than "natural," they still require careful reading. It's a step up from the "natural" free-for-all, but not a guarantee of 100% purity. And importantly, organic does not automatically mean 'better' or 'safer' for your skin.
My Take: It's Time for Honesty and Consumer Education
This topic gets under my skin (pardon the pun), and I've held off writing it because the deception is so pervasive and frustrating. "Natural" has become an evidence-free, accountability-free marketing gimmick. It deceives consumers and, in my opinion, has no place on skincare packaging until and unless it is clearly defined and regulated, much like the food industry has done.
We need to shift our focus. Instead of chasing nebulous "natural" claims, let's become more educated consumers. Let's learn to read ingredient lists, understand what a 'C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate' or a 'Sodium Hyaluronate' actually does to our skin, and why it's there. Let's ask questions like, Is it formulated for my skin type? or Is it stable and safe? Does it respect the skin barrier? Is it produced ethically and sustainably (which is a whole other important discussion for another article int he future)?
It shouldn't matter if an effective, safe ingredient was perfected in a lab or derived from a plant. If it works, doesn't harm our skin or the environment, and is a pleasure to use, that's what counts – not a fake marketing term convincing you it's "natural".
So, my advice? Be skeptical. Read labels. Ask questions. And please, don't believe everything you read, especially when it comes to the alluring, but often empty, promise of "Natural."