Even regular water used in elegance products is often distilled, deionized, or otherwise purified.

All along the continuum of "natural" items, choices have been created to emulsify, stabilize and preserve--to create items sleek and creamy, keep them clean, and provide them acceptable lifestyle expectancy. Even if consumers want items that need to be refrigerated, distributors and retailers will not order them because of the added costs of shipping, storing and greater liability. Many consumers who seek that kind of freshness have been firing up their blenders and following recipes for homemade therapies.1[1] Even these, however, call for important oils, liquor, glycerin, lanolin, etc., which are far from their natural origins. As reported in Strong Voices, the newsletter of the Breast Cancer Fund, "Approximately one-third of elegance products and body care organizations position their items as natural in one way or another . . . But, as you might expect, some organizations are more natural than others" (Volume 7, Summer 2005). Most those who seek out "natural" items are looking for components whose sources they recognize, and that is why a lot of organizations now list the source along with the scientific name of the component, as in sodium laurel sulfate (from coconut), or lanolin (from wool). Turpentine comes from pine trees. 

My grandmother, born in 1901, swore that Skincell Pro turpentine helped her arthritic arms, and she may have rubbed them with lard (from bacon) afterwards to keep them as smooth as Walking out to. Perhaps lard and turpentine are "natural," but are they suitable for the epidermis, and along with that, what is the definition of "good?" Again, there are no easy answers. If you have discovered this post through the Eco-Mall, it is secure to assume that you seek out healthy and balanced epidermis proper care that: (1) is friendly to the environment ("eco-friendly"); (2) does no damage to animals (commonly referred to as "cruelty-free"); and (3) does no damage to the human body system and ideally does excellent (is "body-friendly"). Let us examine "natural" healthy and balanced epidermis proper care in light of each of these issues. Eco-Friendly An issue rarely addressed by the aesthetic industry is whether items are environmentally friendly. The LA Times2[2] has reported that consumer items, such as elegance products, pump 100 tons of pollutants daily into southern California's air, second only to auto emissions. These pollutants come not just from the propellants in sprays and aerosols, but also from fluorocarbons, ethanol, butane, acetone, phenols and xylem. Here's how it works: These ingredients evaporate, and when the sun shines they combine with other pollutants to build ozone, a primary component of smog that can cause headaches, chest pain and loss of lung function. This happens outdoors and indoors, which can severely compromise the great high quality of air in our homes and offices. 

There is a class of drugs called PPCPs (pharmaceutical along with proper care products) that until recently have received relatively little attention as potential environmental pollutants. PPCPs comprise all drugs (prescription and over-the-counter), diagnostic agents (e.g., X-ray contrast media), nutraceuticals, and other ingredients, such as fragrances, sun block agents, and epidermis anti-aging preparations. When phthalates, for example, get into rivers and lakes, they are known to affect the reproduction of aquatic species; and musk fragrances are known to bioaccumulate.3 [3] Skincare items may contain botanical components grown with pesticides and substance fertilizers that are not friendly to the environment, and some may use genetically modified plants in their botanical components. Cruelty-Free "Cruelty-free" is often understood to mean that items are not tested on animals; sometimes also that there are no animal-derived components in items. Taken literally, this would imply the absence of lanolin (from wool), beeswax or honey, dairy items, etc. Some labels specifically state there are no animal components. Body-Friendly We suggest four criteria for evaluating "body-friendly" healthy and balanced epidermis proper care products: • Toxicity • Conclusiveness • Comedogenicity • Effectiveness 1.Toxicity In our July content we discussed several components which we prefer to avoid in healthy and balanced epidermis maintenance systems. To recap, we listed mineral oils, petrolatum, propylene glycol, parables, phthalates, SLS and SLES. 

We also called sunscreens into question. Toxicity (to humans) of healthy and balanced epidermis proper care components may be divided into three distinct categories:4[4] a. Carcinogenic, referring to components contributing to melanoma b. Endocrine-disrupting, which refers to ingredients that disturb the human body's hormonal stability, and may interfere with its ability to grow, create, or function normally. Endocrine disruptors may also be carcinogenic. c. Allergenic, irritating or sensitizing, meaning consumers may have allergies or contact dermatitis (itching, redness, rash, etc.). Individuals with multiple substance sensitivities may become very ill when exposed to certain of these ingredients. There are many "natural" natural skin care organizations that consist of parables, SLES, and other of these components in their items. A general note about preservatives: By their very characteristics additives are harmful. They must be harmful to bacteria, molds and yeast to keep items from spoiling. Another additive that is gaining use as an alternative to parables is diazolidinyl urea. This additive has not been banned from use in Europe, although some authors claim it is carcinogenic because it is a formaldehyde donor. Although formaldehyde is a substance which occurs normally in the human body system, formaldehyde in the gaseous state is a known carcinogen. From all studies we have study, diazolidinyl urea, when it forms formaldehyde, does not type formaldehyde gas. Nonetheless, when used in great enough concentrations or even in low concentrations by persons who are especially delicate to it, diazolidinyl urea-along with almost every other preservative-has been shown to cause contact dermatitis. 

There are also "natural" items who claim to use no additive. Most of these contain grapefruit--or other citrus--seed oil extract. As mentioned in Part I of this series, aesthetic chemists I have spoken to insist that these citrus seeds would turn rancid if they were not sprayed with preservative; that that additive is concentrated in the oil when it is extracted; that this additive in the extract is what is actually preserving the natural skin care product; and that the additive used is often a parable. There are also natural skin care items that are sold in sealed containers with airless pumps or sprayers. Although it can add significantly to the cost of an item, this kind of packaging and delivery is extremely desirable, as it keeps air and airborne contaminants out of the item and can help you significantly decrease or even eliminate the use of additive. Of the big list of possible aesthetic components, a relative few individually pose risky, but many individuals use an array of items every day. It may be that these risks are adding up, or that single components react with others to create harmful combinations, known as synergistic toxicity. 2. Occlusivity The epidermis is the human body's largest organ. The lungs breathe, and so does the epidermis, so to speak: The "breathing" epidermis provides an exit for harmful toxins and chemicals--respiration in the way of perspiration. 

Lotions and salves that occlude this exit may initially soften the epidermis by keeping wetness from escaping, but may actually inhibit the overall wellness of the individual, besides weighing down the epidermis and causing it to sag and age. Nutrients applied to the epidermis that boost the themes wellness may have a positive influence on the whole human body, because they are absorbed into the bloodstream through the epidermis. When we decide body-friendly healthy and balanced epidermis proper care, two important criteria come into play: that items not be harmful to epidermis or our bodies, and that they not are occlusive-allowing nutritional value in and harmful toxins out.5 [5] the bonus comes when the components that are allowed in also bring the epidermis into stability and nourish it. This is the topic of Part III of our series of articles: What Nutrients and Ingredients are Necessary for Healthy Skin? (Late September 2005). Here we address components found in "natural" healthy and balanced epidermis proper care that may be occlusive and/or comedogenic. Look up "exclusivity" on the web and you will discover hundreds of references to exclusivity and its advantages. The key purpose why organizations tout the advantages of exclusivity is that it holds regular water in the epidermis. 

When regular water can't escape, the epidermis stays smooth and moist, and that sounds like a best aspect. Imagine wrapping your epidermis with plastic wrap and wearing it around all day-an extreme example of exclusivity. Pretty soon it would begin to stink in there as the harmful toxins that usually escape with perspiration and usually evaporate into the air get trapped between the epidermis and the plastic.