Finding A Truly Natural Face Cream
Author: Laurel Levine
Let's face it. A natural face cream might not contain all-natural ingredients. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for regulating the cosmetic industry. They have tried to have terms like natural, hypoallergenic and doctor tested or recommended legally defined. But, they have been unable to accomplish that goal.
They warn that it is up to you to protect your skin's health and appearance. How do you do that? They say that you best tool is to learn to read the label of ingredients. But that's not as easy as is sounds.
Cosmetic companies are required to use the International Nomenclature for Cosmetics. The ingredients label looks like a foreign language to most people. Your dermatologist might be able to identify what all of those ingredients are, but you would need to carry around some kind of encyclopedia to figure it out for yourself.
That's true of natural face cream, as well. But, some of the better companies put the common names in parentheses, so that is easier for their customers to understand. For example, Butyrospermum Parkii is actually Shea butter. You may see both names mentioned on the label or only the longer one.
Some bad ingredients are easy to spot; mineral oil and petrolatum. Some companies may consider them naturally occurring, because they are derived from crude oil. It's not a synthetic, but it's not good for your skin's health, either.
Petrolatum and mineral oil clog the pores. They do not provide moisture and they can cause a prematurely aged appearance, because they interfere with skin cell rejuvenation processes. They change the skin's pH balance, which can lead to the appearance of age spots or fungal infections. There is really no place for these ingredients in the cosmetic industry, but they can be found in practically every product on the market, including supposedly natural face cream.
Glycerin is a good ingredient. Functional Keratin is one of the best. Keratin is a protein that makes up over 90% of the skin's epidermal layers. Those are the ones that we see. The proteins collagen and elastin are found in the elastic fibers, which are six or seven layers beneath the skin's surface. Creams containing collagen and elastin cannot penetrate that deeply, if at all. There is no benefit to topical application of those proteins.
There is benefit to a topical natural face cream that contains Functional Keratin. It supports the skin's rejuvenation processes and stimulates it in older people. It relieves inflammation and reduces redness caused by it. It improves the skin's moisture content and firmness. It has antioxidant activity, which is important for preventing free radical damage and the signs of aging that are caused by it.
Wakame kelp is another good ingredient. It contains many of the vitamins and minerals that are important for maintaining the skin's health and appearance. It also prevents the breakdown of hyaluronic acid, something that usually accompanies age and is partially responsible for lost firmness. If you choose the right natural face cream, you may look younger than friends your age, for as long as you live. That's my goal!
Now that you are armed with this information, visit my website today to learn more about little known but clinically tested natural ingredients that are used for treating aging skin!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/finding-a-truly-natural-face-cream-792764.html
About the Author
Laurel is a long time user and passionate advocate of natural skin care products. Visit her site now to discover cutting edge, anti-aging skin care products she recommends after extensive research: http://www.beautiful-skin-site.com.