Why we believe natural ingredients are the better option for our health and for the environment
Our skin is the largest organ in our body and the way we look after it will determine the health and appearance of our skin now and in the future. The many nutrients and vitamins that are found in plant-based ingredients feed, nourish, and protect our skin cells keeping our skin looking its best. Everything we apply to our skin will find its way into our body one way or another whether it is absorbed, ingested, or inhaled. By choosing natural skin care products over those that use synthetic chemicals we can have confidence that the compounds we are applying to our body are safely absorbed, without unintended complications.
Nothing stays on our skins surface; everything is either absorbed into our body or washed off. Once absorbed it is either utilised by our cells, stored, or excreted. If washed off it will go down our sink or shower drain and make its way back into the environment. The compounds in natural skin care products can return to nature and be useful in some way again. Synthetic chemicals, on the other hand, can have devastating effects on the environment and can disrupt whole ecosystems.
A 2014 study by Garcia et al showed that the synthetic chemicals in pharmaceuticals and personal care products are a major environmental risk due to their toxicity in aquatic environments and wastewater treatment plants.
The number of emerging contaminants released into the environment from human activities is increasing daily and the real hazard of the continuous release of these huge amounts of chemicals into waters should not be underestimated according to a research study by Juliano & Magrini (2017).
They discuss how the effect on the environment from these toxic contaminants is largely unknown but if present in high levels they may accumulate in organisms and make their way back to the food chain or react with other pollutants to produce new unpredictable contaminants.
A report by Duke University (2017) discusses how the amount and diversity of pesticides, pharmaceuticals and other industrial chemicals that humans are constantly releasing into the environment are increasing at rates that match or exceed recent increases in CO2 emissions, nutrient pollution from nitrogen fertilizers, and other drivers of global change. Despite this, there is a severe lack of funding and research to assess the impacts and threats they pose to human and environmental health. The situation is considered unsustainable and of concern. Our lack of knowledge about how synthetic chemicals alter ecological processes is said to represent a critical blindspot in the rapidly developing field of global ecology
As consumers become more informed about the proven negative effects of synthetic chemicals on their health and the environment there is a growing desire to seek out natural alternatives. It is so important that consumers educate themselves and understand what is contained in the products that they use on their bodies so they can make informed health and environmental decisions on what to purchase.
