New York – Many of us make repeated vows to simplify our lives, and one place to start is with beauty routines. Instead of dozens of creams and lotions with names too difficult to pronounce, how about using the calm, peaceful-sounding chamomile and tea tree oils? Yet, while going the “natural” route sounds easy enough, one spin down the beauty aisle of a department or drugstore and you’ll see the choices are bountiful.
Just like their cosmeceutical cousins, specific natural ingredients spur different results. According to herbalist Barbara Close’s book “Pure Skin: Organic Beauty Basics” (Chronicle), dandelion root is a skin clarifier, vitamin C is an antioxidant, rose oil has a calming effect on skin, and tea tree oil is for blemishes.
Origins’ entire product line is based on botanical essential oils. Last year, the company partnered with Dr. Andrew Weil, who specializes in integrative medicine, on a collection of beauty products that make the most of mushrooms.
“I have always recommended natural beauty products,” Weil says. “I’m concerned about the artificial ingredients in many beauty products.
“I thought about more novel approaches and I looked at ancient species of mushrooms for their anti-inflammatory powers.”
While “anti-aging” is the buzzword, Weil believes that containing inflammation will improve both the health and appearance of skin. “Chronic low-level inflammation in skin is correlated with aging and damaged tissue,” he explains.
The mushrooms reduce redness and calm the skin, and those things slow and even help prevent common deteriorative changes, according to Weil.
Weil links beauty with health because, he says, appearance “absolutely” reflects one’s well-being. He’s pleased that Origins added ingestible supplements to the typical topical offerings. “It’s a great idea to get people thinking about the skin internally and externally.”
Plants use their essential oils as protective agents, so it makes sense to use them to protect skin too, says Daria Myers, president of Origins, especially since essential oils have proven to have an affinity with human skin.
“They have the ability to change your mood, the way you feel, and they are considered a strong therapeutic resource in many countries,” says Myers. “In France, the science of essential oils is covered under the national health plan, and in England hospitals use them.” She adds, “We’re actually substantiating the effects of the oils, not relying on folkloric claims. We’re using industrywide accepted tests for efficacy.” For example, cites Myers, a rice starch rub is comparable to a clinical derm abrasion.
“It’s all about studying nature. You can’t just take ingredients and put them in a bottle, you have to study nature, understand nature. This is an alternative for people who prefer not to use chemicals. I think they’re informed people, people who read labels, people who are greener,” Myers says, noting that many prescription drugs and high-tech treatments have roots in the plant world.
Close, also an aromatherapist and founder of the holistic spa Naturopathica in East Hampton, N.Y., says that the acne treatment Retin-A is based on vitamin A, and fruit enzymes and glycolic acid, a derivative of sugar cane or fruits, break protein bonds that adhere to skin so they both exfoliate and encourage new skin growth. “They’re natural ingredients with very active ingredients,” she says.
Another one of Close’s favorite ingredients is shea butter for its “wonderful nutritive value and moisturizing.” For the face, she recommends evening primrose oil, which has a lot of essential fatty oils, something the body produces on its own so it’s recognized by the skin and is easily absorbed.
Close agrees that natural products don’t always have the smoothest delivery or a uniform appearance. Her clients don’t rank those things as priorities, though, she reports.
“People always assume what is manmade is better than what nature can provide. But if you look what happened in the ’60s with the food industry – then everything was processed. Now we’re realizing the benefits of organic vegetables and fruit. There’s a reversal underway, and it will happen in skin care too,” Close says.
Expectant mothers seem to be particularly interested in avoiding chemical-infused products.
“When you’re pregnant, you’re aware of skin-absorption issues, but with natural products you don’t have to worry about what you can use, what you can’t,” says Tanya Kazeminy Mackay, a founder of Mama Mio, a British maker of maternity beauty products. “So many beauty products say, ‘Do not use if pregnant.”‘
How safe is it?
The fact that something is derived from a plant doesn’t mean it’s entirely safe for humans to use – especially on your skin. Have you ever heard of poison ivy?
The Environmental Working Group created an interactive guide rating the product safety of personal-care products on its website. “Skin Deep” (under the link for cosmetics at ewg.org) is a searchable database featuring information on more than 14,000 shampoos, lotions, deodorants, sunscreens and other products.
“The cosmetics industry is essentially a self-regulating industry,” says Jane Houlihan, the EWG’s vice president for science. “Companies are making vastly different decisions, and the safety of products varies widely. The FDA does have laws overseeing the labeling of beauty products but not the safety studies. That’s left to the companies.”
Houlihan says consumers often base their decisions on what you’d think would be common sense – petroleum chemicals would be more dangerous than something that grows in the garden, for example – but that’s not always true.
However, Houlihan recommends organically grown products as generally the safest choice because those products were grown without pesticides. The EWG is a nonprofit research organization specializing in environmental investigations.
