Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/942738
36 march/april 2018 chemical substances, when used in skin care, the skin is exposed to many more chemical components than just one isolated chemical. Fact: There is a diff erence between natural and organic. Natural is a very general term when used in conjunction with skin care and cosmetic advertising claims. Many products contain naturally derived ingredients, yet are mixed or suspended with ingredients that may not be naturally sourced. Plants can be naturally grown without being grown under organic conditions. The term organic is not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which sets and defi nes the terms of producing certifi ed organic plants and food products. Organic means that the ingredients, or at least the majority of ingredients, in a product have been obtained from certifi ed organic sources. Fact: Many chemicals used in skin care and cosmetics are derived from plant sources. Plants contain many ingredients from which chemicals can be extracted. Some examples are salicylic acid, which can be extracted from willow bark, or glycolic acid, which can be obtained from sugar cane. Over one-third of prescription drugs are at least partially made from plant-sourced components. Fallacy: Products made with natural ingredients do not need preservatives. This one is really wrong! Any skin care product that contains water or natural materials must have preservatives to keep it fresh and to kill bacteria and other pathogens that may contaminate the product due to normal use. In fact, products that contain large concentrations of natural ingredients may actually be more likely to spoil or oxidize faster. Another interesting fact is that many plants actually make versions of their own preservatives to help protect themselves from things like mold and disease. Fact: Some natural extracts are well-researched and work eff ectively just as they occur in nature, without any manipulation or processing. Good examples of this are aloe vera—which works exceptionally well and can be helpful for burns, sunburns, and irritations—and green tea, which is a mega-antioxidant complex helping to squelch free radicals, infl ammation, and redness. Arnica as an extract is helpful for bruising and is now often used by plastic surgeons to help patients minimize surgery-related bruising. There are many more plant extracts that have excellent benefi ts for the skin, and research is constantly being conducted by cosmetic scientists to learn and document uses of many plant-sourced ingredients. expertadvice SKIN SOLUTIONS Fallacy: Products made from natural ingredients are more eff ective. There is no evidence that a chemical ingredient extracted from plants is any more eff ective than the same chemical ingredient produced in a laboratory. Fact: Using naturally derived ingredients helps support sustainable sources. Many consumers today are careful to buy products made from sustainable sources. Plant-derived ingredients are certainly more sustainable than those made from petrochemical sources. Fact: Education is the key to understanding natural ingredients. Estheticians who are selling and using naturally sourced ingredients and products should seek out good nonbiased classes and books. Estheticians should work to help educate their clients and serve as a resource to understand how natural ingredients can benefi t them, and also work to dispel the misinformation that circulates from uninformed and biased sources.