Natural Ingredients or Synthetic – Which Are Better For your skin

Can you really believe everything you read? When it comes to
selecting skin care products, the answer might surprise you.
However the debate continues to rage on as to whether products
containing all natural ingredients are really better than those
containing synthetic ingredients. With both sides of this issue
taking a firm stand, it ultimately comes down to you, the
consumer, to decide what products work best for you.

But before making your decision let's take a look at some of
the things that may help you make your decisions on what's
better for you.

Are skin care products with natural ingredients better?

That's the million-dollar question, literally. Skin care
product manufacturers right now are spending millions of dollars
researching everything from alfalfa to yucca in an attempt to
not only gain a competitive edge, but to grab more of your
customer dollars.

Skin care marketing departments and manufacturers of skin care
products are working hard to cleverly combine catchy phrases,
attention-grabbing packaging and testimonials from 'experts' in
the field of natural product research and development. The end
results of these efforts are expensive moisturizers, cleansers,
shampoos, masks, exfoliants and cosmetics that claim to work
miracles on your skin, safely, and most importantly, naturally.

But are these claims true? Well, that depends on which side of
the fence you're on when it comes to supporting natural products
versus synthetic products. Before you take a side on this
bitterly debated issue, there's one very important fact that you
need to know.

The federal government has yet to define guidelines and
regulations governing use of the term, 'natural'. That means
marketers can use the term any way they choose, irregardless of
the ingredients used in their products or the manufacturing
processes used to produce those products.

Although a skin care product might very well contain natural
products like aloe or vitamin E, what you're not being told is
that the processes used to extract these components often
utilize many synthetic materials. And even once natural
ingredients are extracted, they're usually combined with
synthetic products such as preservatives and stabilizing agents
that help prolong shelf life.

Natural ingredients can impose the potential for an allergic
reaction just as synthetic ingredients can. Lots of people have
food allergies, so putting products containing plants or plant
extracts on their skin may increase the risks of an allergic
reaction. And even if a full-blown allergic reaction doesn't
occur, natural ingredients can also cause skin irritation and/or
sensitivity.

Natural ingredients can be a good thing but they're better if
they come directly from your refrigerator or garden, unless of
course you are allergic to the ingredient itself.

My recommendation is to focus more on putting natural
ingredients into your mouth. One thing everyone can agree on is
that eating a diet loaded with antioxidants and vitamins is
extremely beneficial to healthy skin. The body is very efficient
at processing natural foods and using the blood stream to
transport these nutrients to the skin.

When looking for good skin care products, find products that
you trust and work well with your skin type. Then become a loyal
customer of that product line. Your skin will be happier as a
result.

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:-Elizabeth Mcgee