It is difficult for a more annoying marketing strategies than pretending that a product is different than it is in the reality. Recently I noticed that some cosmetic brands pretend to seem ecological, natural and organic from the outside, but in fact when we look at the ingredients there is nothing natural inside. This is really very important to read the INCI ingredient list that is located on the back side of the pack, because usually we buy something that can be unhealthy for the same or smaller price than authentic eco cosmetics. But it is not worth it, because good quality natural cosmetics can provide us with much more valuable components. What should we remember in order to not become the victim of good marketing strategy?
INCI. Organic beauty without silikon and parafin.
It is worth to carefully read the list of ingredients of each of the cosmetics you plan to buy. INCI looks complicated only at the very beginning, all listed ingredients are placed in a very logical and precise manner. In the beginning we can see the cosmetic basis (usually it is water, but it can also be an oil, if there is mentioned alcohol, then it is better not to buy it. Then there are placed the active ingredient, herbal extracts and finally fragrances and preservatives. When you get used to it, it is very easy to read INCI and notice whether the specific cosmetic contains a large amount of natural ingredients and essential oils, or only very small quantities with chemical fillers like silicon, emulsifiers, paraffin. The substances present in the product in the fractional proportion ( less than 1%) will be listed at the very end of the list in alphabetical order. Product with such valuable component like eggs, macadamia oil mentioned at the end of the list means just a waste of time and money.
What are SLS and SLES?
What about the middle part of list? Let’s start with the active substances – we will find there washing detergents in case of shampoo and moisturizing ingredients for cream. Ideally, that should be natural extracts from plants (such as green tea extract or sweet orange oil) and delicate detergents. In wore case, on the first place we will find SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate ) or SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate ), which are strong skin irritating detergents being added even to products for children. It is better to use cosmetics containing weaker agents of natural origin, which should not be combined with SLS or SLES . Lubricants and polishes should be based on the natural skin and hair regeneration and not on an artificial use of silicones. Instead of chemical fillers we shoul seak for Shea butter (of course it costs more than silikon for example), argan oil, macadamia oil or other natural extracts, essential oils, glycerin exclusively of natural origin. Please remember that even good sounding names can hide artificial substances like paraffin and petrolatum, which are created from the process of refining the crude oil.
What are parabens?
Natural cosmetics should not contain parabens, which are a strong artificial preservatives blacklisted by every environmentalist. Parabens not only cause allergies, but they are also suspected of being carcinogenic and this substance is detected in the urine of 90% of people around the world, including people living in underdeveloped regions. This is a little scarifying, is not it? Cosmetics which are fully natural are not only the products paraben free (more information here: http://love-me-green.pl/artykuly/kosmetyki-bez-parabenow/), but also free from silicones, mineral oils derived from the petrochemical industry, strong detergents, synthetic fragrances.
Eco cosmetics Love Me Green
If we have fear that checking every cosmetic so carefully this will take too long and will spoil the joy of shopping, you can analyze the cosmetics ingredients in the Internet. The INCI of individual products are published on the network not only by manufacturers of eco cosmetics (you can check the Love Me Green natural cosmetics brand made in France), but also by large companies producing conventional cosmetics. It is better not to trust the brands which are hiding the INCI of their products.
Organic cosmetics with ECOCERT, BDIH & NOP
Choosing the best cosmetic for yourself is not as difficult as it seems. You should only remember the names of ingredients which are harmful to health. Keep in mind also that the best producers of eco and bio cosmetics poses quality certificates – the most important are ECOCERT, NOP, BDIH. Cosmetics with such a certificate certainly are not harmful to your health, they are ecofriendly products also not harmful to the environment.
