How to interpret common beauty labels ?
Many beauty brands take pride in their careful curation of ingredients. But if you are not an organic chemistry major or a scientist working with these ingredients, reading the labels on the beauty products might actually be more confusing and irritating than being beneficial in nature. Usually, we tend to gravitate towards beauty products with “natural,” and “safe” written on it, but when it comes to Indian products, there is no strict guideline when it comes to the formulation of beauty products. In generic terms, an apricot cannot hurt you, but in this case, it can surely damage your skin barrier in the long run! However, AVICEL, an innovative beauty brand based in India is consciously working in the beauty industry in order to champion consumer awareness, transparency, and following ingredient guidelines set by the FDA in the USA.
Usually, we think that “natural” beauty products are better. We tend to instinctively grab for naturally formulated products, with ayurvedic origins. But in an untracked industry, there is no actual evidence that natural ingredients are better than chemically formulated ones. Also to put things in perspective, the world around us is composed of complex protein chains and chemicals. To the untrained eye, the chemical components of an apple and a serum will be the same, and so, it is important to note that everything that is natural is not necessarily the better product. We like apricot scrubs but they are harsher on the skin than a chemical exfoliant like salicylic or glycolic acid. For folks with allergies and skin sensitivities, it is seen that “organic” lavender oil triggers more rashes than the synthetic version. As mentioned before, AVICEL is striving to clear the myths that are seen in the beauty industry and is actively trying to counter these claims that “natural” is always better. The bottom line is that there is nothing wrong with choosing clean and organic beauty, but a mere 2% formulation on the basis of natural ingredients makes just enough difference to raise the price but its effect on the skin will not be noticeable.
At the same time, we pay more bucks when we see “dermatologically tested” plastered on any given face wash, cream, or serum. But upon examination, it is revealed that a group of dermatologists have already tested it to pass the minimum requirement for a beauty product to be labeled a cream or lotion. Adding this label to any product makes it redundant. With AVICEL, consumers can rest assured that every product they use will not only be dermatologically tested but also dermatologically approved. India has banned animal testing of products, so it is simply repetitive to mention it on beauty products that something is not animal tested, especially if it is formulated and manufactured in India.
BEATING BEAUTY INGREDIENTS MYTHS
The words ‘chemical free’ are not hard to evade in the slew of natural, organic and earth-friendly make-up and skincare product brands available both on retail and online stores. Irony at its best, consumer awareness has become a double edged sword, with consumers wanting to know to be more aware about what’s going into the product vs consumers being mis-informed about the product itself. Marketing the ingredients has been abused to the extent that consumers relate more to the ingredient than the overall usage of the product. But, everything that glitters isn’t gold and thus it has become imperative for upcoming and established brands alike to take responsibility for educating the consumer on what chemicals are okay for usage, and ones that are harmful.
Going back to school, to our biology and chemistry classes, it is logical to state that ‘there is no such thing as a chemical-free beauty product.' Pass me a glass of H2O (water)! Well it's just water, everything in nature is chemistry. Thus exploiting the world ‘Chemical’ is to be blamed on blatant advertising agencies who use it for Mass Consumer Bait strategies. Hence, since we are surrounded by chemicals all the time, it is important to be self-educated on which chemicals are harmful,while which are just scientific names of common ingredients.
Scientific name polyhydroxystearic acid seems alarming, and one might wonder if it's an acid. And what's the first thought that comes to the consumer's mind? Oh it's an ACID, it's bad for the skin. Interestingly enough, it is simply a derivative of castor oil, a natural wax – a great healing agent and the moisture doorkeeper for the skin. Further chemicals like Glycolic acid are present in sugarcane, milk, apples and citrus fruits but cannot be used in its natural form in cosmetics but only in the synthetic form. Just because it is in a synthetic form does not mean it is bad for you. Glycolic acid is one of the mildest exfoliants one can use, especially for people with sensitive skin and people who react quickly to harsh natural exfoliants like granulated sugar or apricot scrubs. Even though all that is chemical sounding or natural in plants may or may not be good for the skin, one cannot certainly state that any product is chemical free.
How do you find them? Just read the back of the label and google them, and most of your worry will be over.
At, AVICEL we are working on informative FAQs to debunk the ‘Chemical Free’ myth and promoted through our social media channels to engage larger audiences.