Which Natural Ingredients?

Although there are more than 100 different botanical ingredients that can be used in cosmetic products, the effects of only a quarter have been well researched. Of these researched natural ingredients, only a limited number are shown to be effective.

Which substances do and which don’t?

Substances that have been shown to have any effect (investigated by means of double blind human studies) are soy, green tea, liquorice, oat and coffee berry. All of these ingredients can actually improve the skin’s condition.

Plant ingredients to avoid in your products are lavender, geranium oil, sandalwood, minty substances (such as for example eucalyptus or mint), witch hazel, ylang ylang, tea tree oil and citrusy substances. These botanic raw materials are not very dangerous, but they can irritate the skin. And just as I have said before chronic irritation helps towards premature ageing of the skin.

Sadly the presence of effective botanicals and the absence of irritating botanicals is no guarantee of a good product. The eventual effectiveness depends on the concentration, the purity and the stability of the ingredient in a product. I’ll tell you more about this later.

Regards Jetske

(Dr. Jetske Ultee – Research Physician Cosmetic Dermatology)

You can also read “Natural Beauty Products. Safe or Not?“