Awareness of ingredients knowledge is growing rapidly. Consumers are looking for skincare that meets natural, green beauty requirements, and are turning to smaller brands able to fill that niche. However, there is still a lot of confusion about the difference between natural and synthetic. The definition of 'natural' is "produced or existing in nature." The definition of 'artificial' is "made by human work." In contrast, the definition of 'synthetic' is "produced by chemical synthesis, not by natural process”. Although the word “natural” is one that is often challenged, it is still very much open to interpretation when it comes to the formulation of a product simply because there is no federal regulation around it. Even more ambiguous are the terms “green” and organic.” There are many resources on the web about the type of skincare you should be using, and they often have conflicting opinions. It’s hard to navigate what’s true and what’s not, and what’s actually the most beneficial and safe.
Let’s break down the top five myths about all natural versus synthetically produced products.
Myth #1: Synthetically produced chemicals in products are always bad.
Truth: All matter is made of chemicals – water is a chemical. Saying something is a “chemical” does not make is dangerous. With that being said though, it’s important to know and educate yourself about which chemicals are safe and which are not. Parabens are a great example of this, and as a result have finally been removed by most product manufacturers. Yet, there are still many ingredients unnecessarily added into products.
Myth #2: Some ingredients sound more natural than chemical so must be ok.
Truth: Mineral oil is a great example of an ingredient that offers nothing in terms of therapeutic benefits, but yet, is still used by the mainstream industry because it is so cheap to add into products. This ingredient sounds innocuous, but is actually a by-product of turning petroleum into gasoline. No thanks to that!
Myth #3: Synthetic ingredients are bad for you.
Truth: Synthetic does not mean “un-natural”, it simply means that the ingredient was created to mirror its original benefit. Synthetic ingredients can be sourced using any of the three possible methods: animal sourced, synthetic (lab-produced) or plant sourced. A good example of this is hyaluronic acid, originally derived from animals. It’s important to find a skin care brand that synthetically reproduces ingredients in their correct molecular structures to mimic and deliver the maximum benefits to your skin, without having to take it from any animal sources. At Jordan & Petersen, although minimal, any synthetic ingredients necessary to boost results are all plant sourced.
Myth #4: Natural ingredients are sourced more responsibly.
Truth: Just because an ingredient comes from nature doesn’t mean it was sourced in an environmentally responsible way. The best way to obtain the best ingredients possible is having them sourced from the point of origin and where they may naturally grow and be found. This eliminates having to recreate their natural environment. Which in some cases, may require excessive water usage. In a state like California, that would not be good during a drought. Companies may do it anyway, and then unnecessarily add that cost into your product.
Myth #5: If you don’t understand an ingredient on a label, it must be chemical.
Truth: It’s important to know how to read labels. We recommend always trying to look for shorter ingredient lists with names that you can identify. Sometimes an ingredient that sounds questionable is actually plant derived and very safe. The key is doing your research on the company and their ingredients and making educated decisions.
At Jordan & Petersen Skincare we are proud to formulate our products with ingredients that are 100% plant sourced. Our botanical ingredients are sourced, whenever possible, from the country of origin. Our line uses high-quality natural and minimally synthetic* ingredients, while considering the environment, ensuring that our products are safe and have the same efficacy with every batch.
*All of our ingredients are 100% derived from plant sources. There are no animal sourced ingredients. We are proud to be cruelty-, vegan- and gluten free.
