Is it natural?
We want to start this blog off with a statistic about natural skincare, because we have found that not all skincare that claims to be 'all-natural' actually is... Did you know, that approximately only 42% of 'all-natural' products on the market are actually as they claim? Well, the shocking fact is, it's true! 58% of skincare branded as being 100% natural contain synthetic ingredients!
Studies found that 24% of products claiming to be all-natural contained Ethylhexylglycerin. It is deemed safe however it can cause minor irritation to skin and eyes and is a synthetic ingredient.
In second place, Phenoxyethanol was found in 22% of products claiming to be natural. Like above, this ingredient can cause irritation and is not natural.
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate came in third being used in 13% of ‘natural’ skincare. This one does not tend to cause irritation however none of these are deemed natural.
While these ingredients aren't a necessary threat or irritant to most who use them, it does not deter from the fact they are synthetic ingredients in products claiming to be 100% natural. There are also many ingredients in skincare that are actually harmful to those who use them as well as being synthetic which we feel more people should know about so they can avoid them!
Harmful Ingredients To Look Out For...
Parabens: A cheap preservative that is known to be absorbed through our skin and into our bloodstream where it can stay and pile up. It mimics estrogen in the body and may disrupt our natural hormonal balance. There maybe a link between paraben exposure and breast cancer, this is not a certain but existing research is ongoing. On product labels the most commonly used will be 'Methyl Paraben', 'Butal Paraben', 'Propyl Paraben'.
60% of products on the market contain Parabens. 
Phthalates: A group of chemicals used to make products less dry and more liquid, you can find them in some creams, shampoos and moisturizers. Several studies have shown links to male and female reproductive defects, asthma, breast cancer and even diabetes. The problem is, some ‘fragrance’ also contains Phthalates, making them impossible in these cases to identify on product labels.
79% of products on the market contain Phthalates. 
A study was performed recently with 41 women where they were asked to stop using skincare and beauty products with these ingredients in for 28 days. During this study, medical professionals took measurements of breast cancer genes from these women before and after this change was made. The only thing these 41 women did differently during these 28 days was switching out beauty and skincare products that contained these 2 ingredients and used products that did not.
After, they saw a significant reduction in breast cancer gene expression which was a huge breakthrough because this particular gene was active when they took measurements before cutting out the products with these ingredients, meaning they most likely had a direct impact on this because once these products were taken away, the genes switched off.
Unfortunately, these products have not been banned even with these on-going studies and are still being used in skincare that can so easily be purchased from shelves in many shops.
Studies have shown that approximately 70% of young girls below the age of 12 are using beauty products such as fragrances, lotions and make-up that contain these ingredients which is concerning for those young girls.
For more information about this study, follow the link below:
There is also an article in Breast Cancer UK about Parabens:
Parabens and breast cancer | Breast Cancer UK
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Information in this blog has been obtained through research by ourselves. We are not making any scientific claims about our products or any other products. We always advise conducting your own research on topics and viewing multiple platforms while doing so.