We are now exposed to more chemicals every day than our parents and grandparents, so its little wonder that more attention has been focused on eco-friendly and natural skincare and cosmetics as a step in trying to reduce our chemical exposure.
The number of products a woman uses on her face in a day can run into double figures when you add them up. Starting with cleansing, toning, moisturising, you then move onto makeup which may include foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, powder, blush, lipstick and more. Not to mention perfume which can contain a mixture of anything up to 400 chemicals. The new generation of cosmetics and the use of nano particles, means that women carry more chemicals than ever before and it is often difficult to decipher what exactly you are putting on your face. Companies may claim that their products are natural but what does this mean? New standards have been introduced to help to spot the real green options from the wannabes.
So in order to help you to identify more natural cosmetics standards such as COSMOS-standard and NaTrue have been introduced.
As part of the bid to reduce chemical use and environmental impacts the concept of ‘green chemistry’ has been developed. This considers the whole lifecycle of a product, starting at the raw materials which ideally comes from renewable resources and is grown without pesticides and herbicides. In the processing of those raw materials sustainable resources should be used. Once prepared, the transportation and packaging of those products should be minimal and efficient.
In-use the product should leave a minimal effect on the environment. That means it does not pollute waterways when rinsed off and packaging should be recyclable or biodegradable. Ideally the product should be effective so that less overall product is used.
Luckily for us the area of green chemistry is receiving more attention, which means that we are likely to see greater variety in the natural cosmetics available, including home-grown companies. Watch this space.
