In a world led by fragrances
Advertisements make us believe that when you are wearing fragrances you are more attractive, strong, confident, elegant... Is this true? Or is this what they want you to believe, so you buy more?
Do you know that the average perfume contains about 80 different chemical substances? Do you realize that between washing powder, fabric conditioner, shampoo, shower gel, deodorant, cosmetics, skincare, air fresheners, hair styling products, you might be breathing in, on a daily basis, much more than what you think?
Fragrance is not necessary; it does not add any benefits, especially if we talk about skincare. Have you ever thought that marketing might make you buy the wrong product, just because it has a nice fragrance? Are you buying a nice fragrance rather than something that is adequate for your skin?
With the rise of Green Beauty the attention has now diverted from fragrances to essential oils, which are used extensively as natural alternative to synthetic fragrances. It is relatively true that pure high quality essential oils are better than synthetic chemicals, although these are substantially “volatile aromatic compounds” that go into your lungs and do not bring benefits to your skin, although they actually could cause irritations and sensitizations to both lungs and skin.
This is what in reality has happened to me.
You will probably be aware that the chemical compounds of the essential oils by law have to be declared on the labels, because they are “allergens”. Some examples: Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool. It is mandatory to show these with the list of ingredients, they can be used only in very tiny doses, because they can cause allergic reactions and skin inflammation.
Here another point. If you have sensitive skin, this can be a sign that probably the products you are using on your skin, whether natural or not, are irritating.
Sensitive skin is NOT normal, it is caused by external factors. If you think about it, children have the perfect skin, because they do not use anything. In fact people claiming to have sensitive skin are mostly girls and women. Is it maybe because they are using (the wrong) skincare and cosmetic products? Difficult to trust a mainstream brand that first causes you the “problem”, then offers you another product trying to “solve” your problem. This means more money for them.
So, what ingredients should you be looking for when buying your skincare products? First of all read the labels through and make sure that you know that all the ingredients are of natural origin (plant based), then look for natural vegetable oils. Almond oil, Olive oil, rice bran oil, avocado, sesame, hazelnut, rosehip, grape seed, sea buckthorn oils are all great. They contain vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, beneficial fatty acids and plant sterols. These will really nurture your skin and make you glow naturally, without the need to use 10 different cosmetics to gain that famous “natural look”.
If you choose the right products for your skin, following a simple routine of gentle cleansing, toning, moisturizing and exfoliating you have already all what you need for a healthy happy skin.
And no fragrances needed, only high quality base ingredients.
The more I speak to people the more I hear that they are switching to fragrance free products, from washing powder to shampoo, because after a while certain fragrances become “annoying”. This a signal. In fact many brands now are expanding and adding un-fragranced ranges.
I personally have to choose all fragrance-free in my household and personal care because of sensitizations suffered in the past years, which caused so many issued to my lungs, I can see more and more people coming to terms with this issue.
With our spending we have the power of sending a strong message to the big manufacturer. The future is green and much more NATURAL!!!
In here some more healthy tips from MCS-Aware:
https://www.mcs-aware.org/chemical-sensitivity/122-improve-your-health
If you want to know more about this and if you want to tell us your experience, please send us your comments!!