Organic Skin Care 101

organic skin care is a mystery to many people. Generally, we have an idea that organic things are good for us. However most of us do not have a firm definition for the word organic. Organic skin care, we assume, must be good for our skin because it is natural. You need to realize that this is only partly true, but natural ingredients alone do not make a product organic. To get the most out of buying organic skin care, you need to know how to read the ingredients properly.

According to the FDA, organic means that a product has at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Something that is organic contains carbon. This means that any product that contains 95 percent carbon-based ingredients can legally be labeled as an organic product. In terms of skin care products, this means a petroleum and petroleum-based product can easily be labeled organic. Take methylparaben, a suspected carcinogen – it is carbon-based and present in many skin care products. Obviously, when you think of “organic skin care” you do not think of crude oil derivatives that might give you breast cancer. As a result, you need to be very careful to reconcile your interpretation of organic skin care with the legal definition before you buy.

In order to get organic skin care that meets your requirements, take some time to think about what you want. Most people want natural, unaltered ingredients whenever possible. (You will have to allow for a minor amount of preservatives and processing compounds present for health reason.) Traditionally, most people think organic products are related to “green” products. They want to be sure that their investment did not hurt the environment.

In the end, reading the label is the best way to get the product that you want. Look for “derived” ingredients. What if you see “Cocamide-DEA derived from coconut oil?” You could say this is organic because it comes from a natural substance. However, in reality you can only get it by using a known carcinogen to process it. Sadly, derived ingredients are unlikely to be organic in the way that most of us think of organic.

Also, look for water content and compare it to the label’s claim about how organic the product is. For example, if a product’s main ingredient is water (and most times it is) and a product is labeled 75 percent organic, then most of that organic volume can be attributed to water. Generally speaking, organic skin care products should be totally organic or not labeled organic at all.

Using truly organic skin care products can really benefit your skin. Your skin can benefit greatly from natural elements. However, in order to get true value from organic skin care, you need to understand how to spot the “good stuff” and how to spot a wolf in organic clothing.

This information provided as a courtesy of http://www.BeautyCtr.com, America’s leading source of free, unbiased information and reviews about health and beauty products.