Women have been using products to enhance and perfect their looks since the dawn of time. From creams to makeup, there have been so many trends, that keep changing daily. But are women focusing on the products themselves, or only what they do to their skin? It seems that focusing on whether your products are organic is a topic that comes and goes from the spotlight. But it’s important to think about it because it’s not only impacting our skin – but also the planet as a whole. So how have the skincare products changed over time, and where are we heading?
Words: Brigitte Evans
Past
In time before cosmetics, women were still taking care of their skin. Even though their skin was naturally healthier because there was no air pollution, they have discovered that you can achieve radiant, glowing skin by applying some natural ingredients to it. Honey, aloe vera, coconut milk and citrus juices have all been used to improve the health and appearance of skin. But when the makeup industry took the world by storm in the 70s, thoughts of organic products went through the window, and women were applying all kinds of chemicals to the skin, sometimes damaging it permanently. There were very rarely natural ingredients in products, and everyone was chasing the newest promise of wrinkle-free smooth skin. But as science improved and many ingredients were banned from skin products, natural ingredients were introduced back into skincare and people started truly learning about the importance of organic products.
Present
Today, we have more options than we’ve ever had, and while there are still products that contain harmful chemicals, we are well aware that the best way to go is organic. But we haven’t gone back in time and started using raw ingredients again: we’ve discovered how to take the best of nature and formulate it into pleasant products that we can happily use. Miranda Kerr’s KORA organics are a great example of how natural, organic ingredients are being used in skincare, and organic makeup is being recognised and promoted more and more through different awards, celebrity recommendations and general knowledge. If you are looking to improve on your skincare, and want to get away from chemicals, look for certified, organic products and make sure you know what the majority of the ingredients on the bottles are. Skincare is an important part of our health, and we can’t do it any good if we are not feeding it nutritious products.
Future
So, what awaits in the near future? As the skincare industry remains at the very top of the beauty industry pyramid, we can be sure that there are a lot of resources being poured into research and development of new products. Science is making progress every single day, and just as the products today are better than they were 20 years ago, you can bet that we will only keep going forward. The big question that remains is whether we are going to uncover that something we deem as very healthy today, will be labeled as dangerous in the future. But for now, the only thing we can do is trust science and see where it leads. If we stay on the trend of organic makeup, we will most likely find ways to eliminate chemicals and concentrate the goodness that we get from nature, maybe even reducing our skincare to a single drop of oil per day. But if there is one thing that is certain, it’s that the air quality is getting worse, and our skin is going to need more and more help to stay healthy.
No matter where the trends take us, history proves that we have always enjoyed the benefits of skincare, and we aren’t likely to stop any time soon. Next time you go shopping to refill your skincare supplies, take a good, long look at the packaging and decide whether it’s natural enough to deserve to go on your skin. The more we make sure our products are organic and naturally made, the more we are helping ourselves and our environment.