One of my good friends asked me if she should toss out all of her makeup items in lieu for a more natural and chemical free line. I could tell she was very concerned about this and I know this is probably a question many people have. Here is what I told her.
When we think of a chemical, we tend to associate the word with harsh acids that can lead to burns, redness, irritation, etc. But, what is it really?
By definition, a chemical compound is basically two or more atoms of different elements united chemically. The simplest way to illustrate this is by using water as an example. Two atoms of Hydrogen are joined with one Oxygen atom giving you water (H2O) and (gasp!) a chemical compound. So yes, water is a chemical. You can see why it irks me when I hear makeup or skincare companies touting their products as ‘chemical’ free. If that were the case, then they would be selling you nothing. In any case, most companies are phasing or have phased out controversial ingredients such as parabens and phthalates but that is a whole different story.
Second, the molecular structure of a product has a lot to do with how it works on your skin. Makeup products typically have a large molecular structure which means they just ‘sit’ on the skin. The molecule is too big to penetrate through all the layers of your skin and make its way into your bloodstream, and at the end of the day, you wash it off.
Bottom line, after I presented my view, I told my friend that it is ultimately up to her to decide what she feels is best for her. I did tell her to keep in mind that most ‘organic’ products have a shorter shelf-life due to minimal, natural or no preservatives and to always conduct a patch test before trying out a product. Just because something is ‘natural’ doesn’t mean it can’t cause a reaction/problem.
I hope you found this post informative and helpful and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email.
Oh, and don’t forget to enter my ‘thank you’ giveaway by clicking here. Only a few more days before the winner is announced!
Have a great Thursday and thanks for reading,
Stephanie