How to Spot Organic Skin Care

Many people are confused by the term organic skin care. Generally, we have an idea that organic things are good for us. Most of us do not have a good definition for the word organic, though. We think that organic skin care is good for our skin since it is natural. Natural ingredients alone are not sufficient to make organic skin care products truly organic. To get the most out of buying organic skin care, you need to know how to read the ingredients properly.

According to the FDA, organic means that a product has at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Anything that is carbon-based is organic. Therefore, a product that contains 95 percent of anything that is carbon-based can be legally labeled organic. As far as skin care goes, just being full of petroleum can make a product technically organic. This is important to know about compounds like methylparaben, which is a suspected carcinogen that is petroleum based and present in many skin care products. Obviously, when you think of “organic skin care” you do not think of crude oil derivatives that might give you breast cancer. You need to insure that an organic skin care product lives up to your standards and not just the person handing out labels before you buy.

Organic skin care that meets your requirements is out there, but you need to know what to look for. Most people are just looking for natural, unaltered ingredients. (Naturally, you may find a few preservatives and processing compounds included for health reasons.) Most people also want “green” products when they think organic. They want confidence that their product did not hurt the environment.

The best way to be sure that you are getting the type of product you want is to simply read the label. Keep an eye out for ingredients that were derived from other things. Take “Cocamide-DEA derived from coconut oil.” You might assume this compound is organic because it is derived from a natural substance. Turns out, processing this compound cannot occur without using a known carcinogen. In reality, derived ingredients are seldom organic in the sense that most of us use the word.

You can also factor in water content when evaluating how organic a product is. In many cases, a 75 percent organic product will have nearly 75 percent water. This is why generally organic skin care products should be entirely organic, or not considered organic at all.

Using truly organic skin care products can really benefit your skin. You skin, a natural organ itself, will benefit hugely from natural elements. The best way to get the most value from organic skin care is first to be sure that you have invested in truly organic products.

This information provided as a courtesy of http://www.BeautyCtr.com, America's leading source of free, unbiased information and reviews about health and beauty products.