As promised, I am going to elaborate a bit on my PINK article regarding so called “clean” make-up. Skin cleansers and moisturizers generally make several claims:

First of all, natural means ingredients sourced from nature. Ingredients can be animal, vegetable or mineral but they have been minimally modified. Watch out if you want to use a product with no animal products.

Naturally derived can mean ingredients may have been processed with chemicals  Be sure to check the label to see what percent is actually the “natural” product.

Nontoxic and chemical free are vague terms at best. Look for disclaimers like Parabin free or contains no formaldehyde. Be very careful to read all labels if you are allergic.

The terms green or sustainable can be misleading. I once bought a tube of acne cream that was labeled green only to find out that the term referred to the package, not the product!

The most specific term to look for is organic or better yet, look for what per cent is actually organic. Even in this case, always check ingredients for fragrance free, dye, free, pesticide free, etc.

Many of these products are very expensive. I suggest you find sample sized items of something  you wish to try. As always, carefully read labels and be sure you understand what you are buying. Just an added note: if you have been buying the same product for years, do re-read the ingredient list. Many times a product will be “reformulated” without notice and you may not like one of the new or different ingredients.