What Is Natural Makeup?
There are so many different types of natural makeup products that it's hard to specifically define what natural makeup really is. Some brands claim to be organic, natural or mostly mineral based. The term "natural" slapped on a label actually helps to sell the product, echoing trends towards natural products. The reason why this happens is because more consumers are becoming health-conscious to a greater degree. People are more aware of what they are putting in their bodies and what they are putting on their bodies. However, there are different degrees of natural products, meaning that some makeup brands are mostly made up of natural ingredients while other companies can make the same claims and only have a small percentage of a botanical, herb or something natural.
Definition
Makeup falls into the cosmetics category and beauty products are not as heavily regulated as food. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word natural means, "found in nature or created by nature; nothing artificial, or altered." Many companies attempt to capitalize on the alluring meaning of the word natural when marketing their products. A product is only required to contain 1 percent of a natural ingredient to labeled natural. So when it comes to cosmetics, the word natural really doesn't mean much.
Identification
However, as the consumer you are smarter than an enticing marketing slogan. You can learn to read between the lines by doing more investigation than just seeing the word natural and deciding to buy based on that alone. Read the ingredient list. The highest concentration of a particular ingredient is listed first and list goes on in descending order. If the list contains many words that you cannot even pronounce, then the product clearly is not natural. Truly natural or organic products will contain beneficial ingredients that you will recognize such as coconut oil, honey, royal jelly, green tea, olive oil, neem oil and glycerin. Keep in mind that there are some natural ingredients, such mineral dioxides, that have long names, but as general rule of thumb you will know what most natural ingredients are.
Mineral Makeup
Mineral makeup is generally made of mostly natural minerals from the earth, however it also depends on the brand, so you still need to read labels. Mineral makeup is much lighter than other foundations, so it is important to apply it liberally and perhaps even twice per day. Mineral-based makeup is preferred for people with oily skin because the minerals help to absorb the oil without stripping the skin.
Organic Makeup
Organic makeup is also in the natural category because organic makeup is used with natural ingredients. The ingredients found in organic makeup have been produced without the use of herbicides or pesticides. However, the same rules apply when it comes to organic makeup. Companies are allowed to label a product organic even if it only contains 1 percent organic ingredients.
Benefits
There are many benefits of wearing truly natural makeup, whether it's mineral, liquid or cream foundation. Natural makeup contains ingredients that are beneficial to the skin and less likely to clog pores. There are so many different types of natural makeup, so choose wisely, especially if you are choosing a natural option to benefit your skin.
