Whether you call it 100% pure skincare or holistic skincare or natural skincare or organic skincare, what people are looking for is skincare products that don’t contain harmful ingredients.

If it’s news to you that many mainstream skincare products and antiaging products and cosmetics contain potentially harmful ingredients then here’s a couple of examples to demonstrate why so many people are now looking for natural skincare products.

A recent study, for example, has found lead in many of the big brand lipsticks that so many of us use. Other studies have found chemicals called Phthalates in many of our skincare and anti aging products and cosmetics. Phthalates have linked to birth defects.

Why is this so? Because the FDA doesn’t regulate or test anti aging products and skincare products for safety, (or for how well they work), and so many companies use ingredients in their products that are suspect or even dangerous, and sometimes are also damaging to your skin.

There are many other examples, which have prompted consumers to research what they are buying and created consumer organizations dedicated to exposing dangerous ingredients in skincare products and cosmetics in an attempt to clean up the industry.

For those seeking safe skincare products there is good news. There are excellent companies dedicated to developing high quality, safe, effective and pure skincare products, and safe, effective and pure cosmetics.

Scientific studies have shown many naturally occurring ingredients that can be used in skincare products to avoid the necessity of using chemicals and other suspect or dangerous ingredients.

Many of these natural ingredients provide much more than just vibrant skin, but a unique way to reintroduce vitamins and minerals back into your body. The skin has a special characteristic which allows it to absorb these nutrients from lotions and creams into the blood stream topically.

If you are looking for a better natural skincare product that is safe, affordable and effective it’s out there. Do some research and be sure to find a product you feel comfortable with and an honest company who stands behind the ingredients in their products.

The best firming lotion will have healthy, good for you ingredients that help your skin regenerate itself from the inside. A good skin firming lotion review will consider the long term implications of ingredients and recommend products that are natural and have ingredients that are time proven to aid in firming the skin and preventing wrinkles.

Helping your body make more collagen is one of the best ways to keep your skin firm. This important protein keeps your skin firm and smooth but your body slows down its production of collagen as you age and that’s what starts the sagging and wrinkles. Many lotions feature collagen as an ingredient but you can’t stimulate collagen production by putting it on your skin. Your body has to make its own to be useful.

So, what can help you produce more collagen? Cynergy TK is an ingredient that contains Functional Keratin. This is extracted from the wool of New Zealand sheep and is so close to what your bodies produce that it tricks your body into thinking it is “you” and stimulates our cells to make more collagen and elastin. Combined, these proteins are the very essence of keeping our skin smooth and young looking. In addition to making more collagen, using a product with lots of antioxidants is going to help fight aging and keep our skin firm by neutralizing environmental hazards like free radicals.

A powerful antioxidant is CoEnzyme Q10 (CQ10), you may already take this in a supplement form but you can also find it in the best firming lotion. A good skin firming lotion review should let you know if it’s in a nano emulsion formula for maximum benefit. This just means it’s in microscopic particles and penetrates 7 layers deep to eat up free radicals. Nano-Lipobelle H EQ10 is the most effective form of this vitamin like substance on the market today.

Other great antioxidants you can look for in your skin care are Natural Vitamin E, Grapeseed Oil, jojoba oil and avocado oil.

According to several studies, various preservatives including formaldehyde, parabens, and others commonly used in skin, hair, and beauty products can also provoke allergic reactions. Although the preservatives are needed to maintain product shelf life and only minute amounts are present in any given product, many products contain these same chemicals, including skin care products, makeup, medications, antiperspirants, toothpaste, and foods. Many of these products are used on a daily basis, causing a higher reaction rate. As a result, the overall exposure to these harmful ingredients is higher than would occur if only a single product were used. Studies show that massage therapists have more contact dermatitis – or skin inflammation – due to exposure to these extracts.

Until recently, few studies investigated the cumulative impact of repeated exposures to preservatives in a variety of products and ingredients. For the majority of people, these product preservatives are an additional benefit, not a problem. But, as the chemical compositions increase, so do the allergic reactions.

If you suffer from sensitive, allergic skin or severe dry skin, you may be among those who will have a problem or reaction to these chemical-laden products. In this case, it is your role as an informed consumer to carefully read labels for all products that come into contact with your skin – internally or externally- to assure that they don’t contain the listed ingredients that you must avoid. Your skin barrier does a lot to protect you naturally, help it out when you can and feed it nourishing chemical-free products whenever you can.

When you are choosing skin care, personal care and cosmetic products, part of spending you hard-earned dollars wisely means paying close attention to the labels of products your purchase. This is the only way to ensure you purchase truly natural and organic skin care products. The following are tips you can follow to keep your health at it’s best and your money in your bank.

There is a little-known “Rule Of Thirds” when it comes to ingredients lists. The top third of the ingredients label generally lists the ingredients that comprise around 90-98% of the product. Most of this is usually water. The middle third generally represents approximately 5-8% of the product. The bottom third represents around 1-3%.

‘Natural’ skin care is not always natural.

There are two definitions of the world natural. The cosmetic and health industry standards use them liberally. The dictionary definition: “Existing in or, formed by, nature.” The cosmetic industry definition: “Any ingredient derived from a natural substance.” Manufacturers commonly use the world ‘natural’ on labels to deceive consumers. For example, “Cocamide-DEA derived from coconut oil.”

Cocamide-DEA may well be from coconut oil, but a synthetic chemical called diethanolamine is used in the extraction process. It is known to cause cancer. An ingredient is not really natural if it has been processed in this way.

Organic doesn’t always mean what you think.

An organic certification on a product label is the only way to guarantee the integrity of a product. The definition of certified organic is as follows: “An independent third party guarantee of an organic claim.”

Always look for a logo that guarantees the product’s integrity. Certified organic products must contain a minimum of 95% organic ingredients excluding water and salt/minerals, with a small allowance for natural, non-organic ingredients that must comply with very stringent processing criteria.

In addition, there are two definitions of organic. The first, “Organic chemistry “ is concerned with substances that contain carbon. Carbon is present in all living things. Legally, the cosmetics industry is allowed to label any product that contains carbon as ‘organic’. So, even if it contains gasoline, it is considered organic.

Methylparaben is another misused term. It is derived from petrochemicals, which are derived from crude oil, which is derived from living matter. It is a widely used preservative in organic skin care products such as body creams, body wash and deodorants. Shocking as it seems, technically, methylparaben can legally be labeled as organic. It is worth noting here that a recent European study reported traces of methylparaben in human breast cancer tumors.

The second definition of organic is, “The sustainable system of agriculture that uses natural substances & methods to create healthy nutrient rich and fertile soils.” When you are reading labels for the health of yourself and your family, be aware of these common misnomers.

Be aware of the “water” label in the product?

According to research found via the world wide web, what can be meant when companies put ‘73% Organic’ on their labels, could be as deceptive as a manufacturer placing a few organic teabags in a vat of water and letting them infuse. Because the water constitutes 70+ percent of the overall product, the manufacturer is allowed to claim that the product is 73% organic at the top of the label. Obviously, if you removed the water, the actual organic content of those fancy herbal infusions would probably be less than 0.05% of the total product.

Be aware of inconsistent labeling standards

In some countries, ingredients that are not allowed in certified organic foods ARE allowed in certified organic personal care and cosmetic products. This represents a lack of continuity or consistency in labeling standards. How can food and cosmetics products have the same certified organic logo when ingredients that are allowed personal care and cosmetics are not allowed in food? Remember , if you put it on your skin, it is going into your body.

Be careful of “miracle ingredients

Times don’t really change. What was true for your great-grandfather and the traveling salesman then is still true for you in the modern age. Vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, active copper and other ingredients may be touted as “miracle ingredients, “ because they do offer great health benefits when taken internally or as a supplement, with your physicians guidance, etc. But the plain truth is when you apply them topically (meaning to your skin directly) there is so little of the actual ingredient left, it can’t do much. There is no miracle ingredient for the skin or hair, just as there are no magic pills for curing illness and disease in “ four to six weeks.”

The quality of the skin is a function of feeding the body high quality nutrients over time and keeping the toxin levels of the body as low as possible.

When you use high quality, certified organic products, ALL the ingredients are active. They are ALL beneficial and they all feed the skin.