Natural Ingredients or Synthetic - Which Are Better For Your Skin?

Can you really believe everything you read? When it comes to selecting skin care products, the answer might surprise you. However the debate continues to rage on as to whether products containing all natural ingredients are really better than those containing synthetic ingredients. With both sides of this issue taking a firm stand, it ultimately comes down to you, the consumer, to decide what products work best for you.

But before making your decision let's take a look at some of the things that may help you make your decisions on what's better for you.

Are skin care products with natural ingredients better?

That's the million-dollar question, literally. Skin care product manufacturers right now are spending millions of dollars researching everything from alfalfa to yucca in an attempt to not only gain a competitive edge, but to grab more of your customer dollars.

Skin care marketing departments and manufacturers of skin care products are working hard to cleverly combine catchy phrases, attention-grabbing packaging and testimonials from 'experts' in the field of natural product research and development. The end results of these efforts are expensive moisturizers, cleansers, shampoos, masks, exfoliants and cosmetics that claim to work miracles on your skin, safely, and most importantly, naturally.

But are these claims true? Well, that depends on which side of the fence you're on when it comes to supporting natural products versus synthetic products. Before you take a side on this bitterly debated issue, there's one very important fact that you need to know.

The federal government has yet to define guidelines and regulations governing use of the term, 'natural'. That means marketers can use the term any way they choose, irregardless of the ingredients used in their products or the manufacturing processes used to produce those products.

Although a skin care product might very well contain natural products like aloe or vitamin E, what you're not being told is that the processes used to extract these components often utilize many synthetic materials. And even once natural ingredients are extracted, they're usually combined with synthetic products such as preservatives and stabilizing agents that help prolong shelf life.

Natural ingredients can impose the potential for an allergic reaction just as synthetic ingredients can. Lots of people have food allergies, so putting products containing plants or plant extracts on their skin may increase the risks of an allergic reaction. And even if a full-blown allergic reaction doesn't occur, natural ingredients can also cause skin irritation and/or sensitivity.

Natural ingredients can be a good thing but they're better if they come directly from your refrigerator or garden, unless of course you are allergic to the ingredient itself.

My recommendation is to focus more on putting natural ingredients into your mouth. One thing everyone can agree on is that eating a diet loaded with antioxidants and vitamins is extremely beneficial to healthy skin. The body is very efficient at processing natural foods and using the blood stream to transport these nutrients to the skin.

When looking for good skin care products, find products that you trust and work well with your skin type. Then become a loyal customer of that product line. Your skin will be happier as a result.