Notable Beauty Expert and Senior Marketing Manager for Consonant Skincare Kristina Breckon tells young professionals how to look and feel their best.

Working in the industry that I do, I’m often asked, “What exactly does organic and natural mean, and should I care when it comes to my skin care products?”

Considering the fact that beauty products go on your body, and go in your body (think transdermal patches like those for smoking cessation and birth control), in a word – yes.  In a few words – you should care a lot.

Skin is our body’s largest organ, and while we often hear about the importance of maintaining a healthy heart and lungs, maintaining healthy skin is often overlooked. A good first step towards a healthier skin care regiment is eliminating products that contain synthetic ingredients, some of which are at best irritating and at worst have been linked to serious health concerns (more on this next month).

I find when I’m talking to clients and friends, there is often a lot of confusion about exactly what natural and organic means, so here’s a quick primer.

Natural and Organic 101:

Natural: This one is pretty straight forward – anything that comes from the earth is natural. This means no synthetic fragrances or man made ingredients.

Organic: This is one step healthier than “natural.” When an ingredient is organic it means that the plant or animal from which the ingredient was derived was grown without certain pesticides or hormones. While the use of things like synthetic pesticides and hormones help to make crops more resilient and easy to grow, they get absorbed into the plant and then become part of the product that you are slathering on your body (and as a result absorbing into your body). Products that are grown organically are also better for the environment than the non-organic alternatives, since they must abide by certain farming practices, so you can be happy knowing you’re doing something good for the earth as well as your health.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no governmental regulatory body that validates organic and natural claims made by cosmetics and skin care companies. In fact, in Canada the regulations surrounding organic foods are only about a year old. Because of this lack of rules, for now, the natural and organic skin care industry is a bit like the Wild West. Many manufacturers make confusing and misleading claims on their packaging, leading consumers to believe that their products are actually healthier than they are.

So what does all this mean? When it comes to the skin care and cosmetics products that you use, it’s important to take a second look and question the claims that are made. Read ingredients lists, educate yourself, and start thinking about healthy skincare as part of an overall healthy living lifestyle.