We all have our preferences and priorities when it comes to skincare and beauty products - from plastic-free packaging to our favourite scents, textures, and the brands recommended to us by friends.
One of the biggest misconceptions in the beauty and skincare industry is the idea that natural and organic are the same - buoyed by the rise in the use of terminology which lulls buyers into a false sense of security and allows them to believe that they are buying something completely natural when often they are not.
If you see the word ‘natural’ on a skincare product, you can rest assured that some of the ingredients are derived from nature - but that’s about it. From there, anything goes with chemical sprays and pesticides all fair game in a natural product. This is where the difference between natural and organic comes in - introducing an array of skincare products containing ingredients which are genuinely farmed in a natural way without any agricultural chemicals or intervention.
Let’s take a closer look.
What is meant by Organic Skincare?
Organic skincare contains ingredients which are organically grown without the use of intervention of pesticides and other chemicals. In short, they are grown in a genuinely natural environment which crucially means that the ingredients are untouched by harmful chemicals - many of which can be transferred into the product and onto the skin in the case of natural and other products.
For the growing skincare and beauty market, this doesn’t just refer to face creams and moisturisers but also to baby products and other products which regularly come into contact with sensitive skin.
Organic vs. Natural Skincare Products
We have already touched on the core difference between organic and natural - with organic referring to products which do not contain chemical-pumped ingredients. But what does this mean for the products themselves?
The biggest thing for us is the false sense of security created by the use of the word natural. Organic products are what they say on the packaging - but natural products often are not and allow buyers to believe that their products are friends to nature when they’re not. Rather, they come from nature but are not grown or nurtured in a primarily natural way.
Natural products can also be the cause of dermatological problems as a result of the chemicals used on the ingredients, while the switch the organic products will often clear up those issues quickly and effectively. For buyers concerned about switching from natural to organic and the cost implications associated with such a sizeable change in routine, we recommend first switching your moisturisers and other long lasting products as these spend the most time on your skin and, if they contain harmful chemicals, can be the things which cause the most damage to your skin.
Benefits of using Organic Skincare Products
The number of organic skincare products on the market has grown exponentially in recent years, as a result of the growing awareness of consumers and buyers. And it’s not just the transparency of organic products that buyers like.
Organic brands and skincare products are beneficial in other ways too, often supporting local economies and using local ingredients from small community producers around the world. They nurture and care for sensitive skin rather than aggravate and exacerbate skin issues, and they are completely free from the type of ingredients which have been linked in some studies to long term harmful skin conditions and diseases.
And then we have the environmental benefits and the support we are giving our natural world by choosing and using products which are grown and made in an organic way. Choosing organic skincare products increases demand for ingredients which have been organically farmed. This in tun protects farmers and their local communities from exposure to harmful pesticides and chemicals and supports them in producing their crops in an environmentally friendly way.
The Takeaway
In the past there has been a distinct blurring of the boundaries between organic and natural skincare products, but with an increasingly savvy consumer audience comes an increasing demand for transparency and honest marketing.
Choosing organic skincare not only enhances the health of your skin and protects it from harmful chemicals, but it also supports the demand for organically grown ingredients which is infinitely better for our natural world.