Today we are hearing so many buzz words when it comes to what we surround ourselves with, what we eat and what we put on ourselves. I’m an HGTV junkie and all of a sudden I’ve noticed that now people aren’t just talking about remodeling, but it’s “green” remodeling.  Perhaps it’s because a lot of the shows originate in California, who knows?  It’s almost become a religious movement. For years we’ve been hearing about “organic” verses “traditional”. Let’s talk about what some of this means, particularly as it relates to makeup and skin care.

We are more aware today of the toxins we apply to our largest organ, our skin, in the name of comfort and or beauty. Up to 60% of what you put on your skin will be absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream. If you doubt this, perhaps you’ve never heard of nicotine patches to control cravings? Or how about the estrogen patches do dispense estrogen?

In a study by Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, that measured the amounts of environmental contaminants in humans, found an average of 91 industrial compounds, pollutants and other chemicals in he blood and urine of volunteers. According to the Environmental Working Group, one way to reduce exposure to chemicals is to use organic natural products. Packaged Facts, a marketing research firm, reported that the American Cancer Society had listed 216 chemicals that caused breast cancer in animal test. 97 of the carcinogens are breathed in by humans or used in our consumer products, which included personal care products.

Mass merchants such as Target and Walmart are introducing natural and organic personal care products. Supermarkets like Safeway and Loblaws are expanding product ranges while some of the drugstores are launching their own exclusive products.

Consumers are willing to pay more for organics because of the perception that it is better quality. Buying organic supports organic farming and is one big step in lowering pesticide use. Organic products are more expensive because the ingredients used are more expensive. It is more labor intensive and has to conform to more stringent regulations. Organic skin care in particular, tends to be made with better ingredients. These products contain herbs, oils and juices produced without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers or genetically modified ingredients. In other words, they are better for the environment and the will leave less chemical residue on your skin. But, they are also more expensive than your average skin care products.

Holistic lifestyle savvy baby boomers started turning 50 in the mid-1990’s and have been steadily switching to natural skincare products to preserve their looks and health.

I’ll admit it. I’m a baby boomer and I want everything as natural as possible. This is such a broad topic, we will need to continue in another post.