DETOX NOTES
Are Natural Cosmetics Better?
We’re all about the “know better, do better” philosophy, which is why we’re always striving to find things that are better for us. When it comes to cosmetics, we definitely want to know that the products we are using on our skin and face are safe, effective, and as close to natural as possible.
The only problem is, sometimes it’s not entirely clear what “natural” means in terms of cosmetics.
Does it mean organic? Non-toxic? Environmentally safe? Are natural cosmetics effective? Do they work as well as our favorite conventional products?
We’re here to answer these questions. The team at The Detox Market spends a lot of time researching beauty industry trends, and decoding the latest buzzwords that surround the natural beauty movement so we can find products that outperform their mainline cousins.
We also strive to provide you, the consumer, with up to date information about products and ingredients that could be harmful to you and your skin. There are even some natural ingredients that shouldn’t really be included in your products (that’s right, not every natural ingredient is safe or beneficial).
Let’s learn what natural cosmetics are and whether they are better for you than any other cosmetic available.
What Are Natural Cosmetics?
It can be a little difficult to come up with a clear definition of the term “natural cosmetic.” Because cosmetics don’t require approval from the FDA (the industry is only loosely regulated), a cosmetics company essentially has free reign over what they decide is natural and unnatural. As such, they can package any product and label it “natural.”
Most companies will consider a product “natural” if it contains mostly natural ingredients.
A natural ingredient is usually an ingredient that isn’t synthetic or created by combining chemicals. Natural products come predominantly from nature, and are processed as little as possible before reaching the consumer in the final product.
Natural cosmetics can be:
- Organic. Organic products are held to extremely high standards of handling and production. They usually have a certified organic seal from the USDA, the government agency responsible for certifying whether a product is organic or not.
- Non-toxic. There are plenty of toxins the FDA has ruled aren’t allowed in cosmetics and beauty products, but there are some they still allow. A natural product will not normally contain any toxins, regardless of whether or not the FDA has banned them.
- Environmentally safe. Natural products are often created from sustainably sourced ingredients, and do not contain anything that could be harmful to the environment when the product is used and then discarded.
Natural products do not have to be organic, non-toxic, or environmentally safe, but many of them are. Additionally, some natural products are cruelty-free, but not all of them are.
It’s Natural, But is It Cruelty-Free?
Products can contain natural ingredients, but just being natural doesn’t mean the ingredients are cruelty-free. The fact is, animal products are sometimes considered natural. Anytime a product is harvested from an animal, there’s an opportunity for the animal to be mistreated.
This is why The Detox Market has a strict, zero animal-testing policy for the products we offer.
Zero-testing means that at no point in the creation, development, testing, production, or delivery of the product was an animal involved or harmed.
For instance, a natural ingredient can be derived from an animal, which may make it a no-go if you’d like to only stick to products that are cruelty free. A great example of this is the ingredient lanolin. Lanolin is derived from sheep’s wool and is an emollient used in many products. Lanolin helps give lip balms and lotions hydrating power. There are vegan emollients that work equally well, if not better.
When shopping for cruelty-free products, you’ll need to remember that just because a package says something like “product not tested on animals” or “we do not test on animals” does not mean that a portion of the product wasn’t tested on animals at some point during production.
- Some companies hire third party testing facilities to conduct their testing for them. Thus, the label may read “we do not test on animals,” but the company they hired to perform their testing might.
- Companies may also test ingredients in their products on animals, but refrain from testing the final product on animals.
The best way to ensure a product is truly cruelty free is to shop from a trusted marketplace like The Detox Market and check to see if a brand is Leaping Bunny approved.
The Leaping Bunny foundation ensures that no animal was involved in testing at any point in the creation, development, testing, and distribution of the product.
Are Natural Cosmetics Better?
Sure, we want our products to always be cruelty free, organic when possible, non-toxic, and as natural as we can get them. We also, however, want our products to actually work. Can natural products work just as well as other cosmetic products we’re currently using?
We think the answer is a resounding yes, and we’d argue natural cosmetics actually work better than other products, simply because they have to.
There’s pretty steep competition among natural beauty product and cosmetic companies. These companies are often smaller, and fighting for business. As such, they come to the table with products that are incredibly effective.
There’s also a stigma. Many people associate “natural” with “weak,” and natural cosmetic brands are constantly fighting this stigma by developing products that really perform.
When selecting a natural cosmetic, consider the following standards:
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Safety. Compare your current product ingredient list to the ingredient list of a natural cosmetic product. Does your current product contain ingredients that are known toxins? Does it contain ingredients that have been linked to any kind of negative health impact in humans?
Keep in mind that all natural ingredients aren’t necessarily “safe.” If you don’t feel you have enough information about a particular ingredient, shop from a company who takes the guesswork out of it, like The Detox Market. We do the research on whether ingredients are safe or aren’t, and only offer products that meet our safety standards.
That means you can trust the products we offer in our marketplace.
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Efficacy. What is the product designed to do? Does it contain ingredients that will help it accomplish its intended purpose. If you don’t have time to sample products and simply want to know that you’re buying something that has already been thoroughly tested by experts, you can shop from the products available at The Detox Market.
We personally test each and every product we offer, comparing it to countless other natural products. We only offer the best, most effective products in our marketplace; the ones that outperform the others. Buying from us means you don’t have to wonder if your product will do what it says it will; we’ve already tested it and have given it our seal of approval.
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Testing standards. When you buy a natural product, you want peace of mind in knowing that the product was never tested on animals, and that no animal was harmed in the process. You can look for the Leaping Bunny seal for instant verification or check Leaping Bunny’s approved brands here, but if a company hasn’t opted to get the Leaping Bunny seal, you’ll have to find information about their testing procedures from their website.
We ask our brands the tough questions about the creation, testing, and production of their products. If an animal was involved in testing with any ingredient, at any point in the development of their product, we won’t offer it to our consumers, no matter how promising or effective it may be.
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Reviews. Online product reviews are some of the best ways to determine how a product is holding up in the real world. If a product is consistently getting high marks, there’s a reason why.
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Intentional ingredients. One of the best benefits of using natural cosmetics is the inclusion of ingredients that are completely intentional. You won’t find a long list of preservatives and fillers in a natural cosmetic. Every ingredient serves a specific purpose, and that purpose should deliver some benefit to your skin.
The ingredients that go into a product are just as important as the toxic ingredients being left out. The Detox Market inspects the labels of every product we carry to ensure the ingredients are necessary, intentional, and beneficial for inclusion.
Takeaway
Natural cosmetics are a great way to rid your beauty counter of potentially harmful chemicals and toxins. Natural cosmetics also often outperform their non-natural counterparts because the ingredients are intentional, powerful, and effective.
There are some caveats with natural cosmetics because there’s no set standard for how they must be produced. As such, you may find it much easier to shop from a marketplace that does the hard work for you.
The Detox Market researches natural products, inspects their ingredient labels, questions their animal testing policies, and test-drives the products for weeks before releasing them to our marketplace.
If you want natural cosmetics without the guesswork, The Detox Market is your one stop shop.
Sources:
https://www.usda.gov/topics/organic
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