Organic vs. traditional beauty products, what's the difference?

The term “organic” in reference to skin care products came to mean that these products are all-natural or very close to 100% natural and that contain mostly certified organic botanical ingredients.

There are many advantages to using organics, not only for the skin but for our natural environment and the society.

Because organic-minded companies make products that are so close to 100% natural, these products will generally contain much higher amounts of active skin-enhancing botanical ingredients.

Traditionally, skin care products are built in the following way: 

• Inactive carrier ingredients (60-99%; for example: water, alcohol, petroleum ingredients carriers such as mineral oil or petroleum jelly, or petroleum-derived emulsifiers and surfactants (detergents)
• A smaller percentage of active ingredients (1-40%); for example: herbal extracts, plant oils, animal byproducts, algae, vitamins).
• Chemical preservatives and artificial fragrances (less than 1% each)

Organic products are different from traditional skin care products in the following ways:

• Organic skin care companies typically use alcohol herbal extracts instead of plain denatured alcohol, herbal infusions or fruit juices instead of water, and essential oils containing their myriad skin-improving and aromatherapy properties instead of artificial fragrance.

• Organic ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, etc. and are not irradiated. Industrial chemicals in conventional skin care ingredients become absorbed into our blood stream and can compromise our health in a number of ways (cause various illnesses such as cancer, insomnia, kidney disease, etc.)

• Organic skin care companies avoid use of petroleum by-products. Petroleum-derived ingredients make a lot of people break out, contain no inherent skin benefits (they are really inexpensive carriers or fillers), and companies using these ingredients indirectly support the oil industry.  Such companies also often become involved in other ecology-friendly practices, such as using solar or wind energy, biodegradable or recycled packaging, donating a portion of their profits to environmental causes, supporting fair trade practices, and refusing to carry environmentally hazardous products, such as aerosols, as part of their product line.

***But remember that organic skin care products are not necessarily 100% natural, free of petroleum derivatives, animal by-products, synthetic ingredients, or chemical preservatives.

Organic also doesn’t mean that the products or ingredients weren’t tested on animals. Organic skin care products may contain some botanical ingredients that are wild-crafted or conventional (regular) ingredients. There is also no guarantee that the organic ingredients used have not been heavily processed with bleachers, deodorizers, and other chemicals.