Natural skin care is one of the many things you can do to keep your life, your body and the environment free from artificial, chemically-based ingredients, some of which may actually be toxic. All natural skin care, sometimes known as organic skin care is a great way to keep your complexion in top condition. Here's some information about natural beauty products that might be useful to women (and savvy men) in the UK.

It's All About the Ingredients

Natural skin care products are formulated to be as luxurious some of the most popular "mainstream" brands, but express a holistic philosophy that's reflected in the ingredients used and the manufacturing process. Often crafted in small batches, the best natural skincare products emphasize the skin's health and vibrancy without sacrificing effectiveness. Also, natural organic skincare often avoids the use of harsh, harmful or ingredients like artificial fragrance, artificial color, mineral oil, PEGs, silicone, ethoxylates, glycols and parabens. Natural skincare formulations should avoid even some natural substances that might prove to irritate skin, such as citrus extracts. Allergy issues are important too, so these products need to be free of ingredients like peanut oil or other nut-based oils. If you take the time to read the label, you're likely to find that a natural skin care product isn't totally free of synthetic ingredients. These ingredients are often required to assure the freshness and shelf life of a product. The best natural skin care products are carefully crafted blends that use sound scientific formulations and practices to deliver pure and long-lasting products. Here are a few examples:

Instead using of silicone to provide "slip" and a smooth texture to the product, organic skin care might substitute a natural substance like olive oil or even exotic natural oils like jojoba, kukui or elipe, or kokum or mango butter.

Organic beauty products might use natural witch hazel and plant extracts and instead of detergents.

Natural beauty skin care products are often rich in antioxidants that help counter the detrimental effects of free radicals. Free radicals are formed when oxygen interacts with other substances, causing a destructive chain reaction that kills or damages cells. Antioxidants intervene in the chain reaction and halt its progress. Ingredients like olive oil, olive leaf and white tea are powerful antioxidants, as are herbs like aloe vera, ginkgo and grape seed.

Some Alarming Numbers

It's estimated that many women use up to 12 products per day on their skin. These products can contain up to 177 different chemicals and substances. It's no wonder that so many women suffer from irritated skin! Women who use all natural skin care products, however, often find that irritated skin is calmed, which in turn prevents the irritation from escalating into inflammation that can lead to serious problems like skin cancer. Why not try some natural skin care products? You're sure to love the results, along with growing numbers of women in the UK.