5 Skincare Truth Bombs From Natural Beauty Brand Owners
Gather around, ladies. We are dropping some major truth bombs about skincare today. These aren’t your average, run-of-the-mill myths busted kind of truths, these are revelations. Yes, we are feeling pretty dramatic today.
The beauty industry in India is a crowded place with everyone jostling to speak to the young Indian customer. And with natural becoming a popular catchphrase among the audience, every brand wants to clamber aboard. But obviously, everything natural can’t be great for you. Heck, it might not even be good for you. We spoke to the owners of natural beauty and skincare brands and got them to spill the beans on what’s actually good for you and what is, basically, a bait for the gullible customer. Read up to know what they had to say.
Natural beauty products are NOT chemical-free.
Before you abandon all your ‘unnatural’ beauty products, have a listen to what Vasu Gandhi, co-founder of the luxury beauty brand of Sova has to say.
“There are no packaged personal care products (with a shelf life) that are truly chemical free, as everything natural including water has a chemical structure to it. Any alteration done to a plant-based ingredient to make it incorporable into a product (for e.g. a face cream) means it’s changed from being a 100% natural. This includes so-called chemical-free preservatives.
So when a product claims to be 100% chemical free, please note they are not being 100% honest.”
*picks up jaw off floor*
Everything Natural Isn’t Necessarily Good For You
Chances are, you are tempted to trudge along to the kitchen and smear the first thing you find in there to fully imbibe the beauty benefits of natural things. Chances are, you will break out. Allow Dr. Aneesh from Dr. Sheth’s to break this to you, gently.
“It is a myth that everything natural is good. Remember, even mushrooms have cyanide. Remember to be smart and look at skincare skeptically. Clean, studied skincare is always what you should be looking at – and always remember to patch test.”
*reconsiders mushroom eating habit*
You Shouldn’t Just Skim Over The Instructions
We all go into natural beauty products, abandoning all caution thinking ‘What could possibly go wrong?’ Plenty. Reading the instructions, carefully, is probably the best way to dodge that bullet. Nandeeta Manchandaa, the person behind Enn’s Closet tells us the one product you cannot NOT read the instructions on.
“An SPF. It’s most neglected skincare product because most people have very little knowledge about sunscreen. How much is needed for the face? Broad spectrum or full spectrum? What does SPF mean? When to reapply? There is no such thing as 100% waterproof sunscreen. There’s a lot people need to know about sunscreens.”
*reads all labels everywhere*
‘Natural’ Isn’t The Only Word To Look For
If you projectile launch yourself at any product that has the word natural or has leaves on the packaging, you will need to stop. Turns out, that’s just a word. Vasu Gandhi says, “‘‘Natural’is a loosely used and very abused term. You want research backed by ‘naturally derived’ ingredients. These are much better since they are able to penetrate human skin deeply and easily making it most effective for treating pigmentation, acne, fine lines, blackheads, dullness etc. without any adverse impact on health.”
*scrutinises all her natural products*
Even Natural Products Have Caveats
Everything doesn’t go just because it’s natural. It simply isn’t true. Of course, we easily buy into this marketing tactic so we haven’t really thought about it. And some products should come with a ‘Be careful with that’ label. Nandeeta gives us an example.
“Charcoal peel off masks for sure. The gimmicky peel-off technique does peel off the upper layer of the skin along with debris, sebum and grime, but it can also leave your skin red, dehydrated, and inflamed. Basically it can do more harm than good. “
*reconsiders all her life choices*
Well, that was an eye opener, wasn’t it? Tell us in the comments below the natural myths you’ve believed.
