Natural skin care

This article is about natural ingredients and traditional medicine in skin care. For a general review, see Skin care.

Natural skin care uses topical creams and lotions made of ingredients available in nature.[1] Much of the recent literature reviews plant-derived ingredients, which may include herbs, roots, flowers and essential oils,[2][3][4] but natural substances in skin care products include animal-derived products such as beeswax, and minerals. These substances may be combined with various carrier agents, preservatives, surfactants, humectants and emulsifiers.[5]: 5–8 

There are no legal definitions in the U.S. for advertising terms "natural" or "organic" when applied to personal care products.[6] Consumers often express a preference for skin products with organic and natural ingredients.[1] The personal skin care market based on natural products has shown strong growth.[7] Clinical and laboratory studies have identified activities in many natural ingredients that have potential beneficial activities for personal skin care,[2][3] but there is a shortage of convincing evidence for natural product efficacy in medical problems.[8]

Some natural products and therapies may be harmful, either to the skin or systemically.[4][8][9] People prone to allergies should pay careful attention to what they use on their skin. Dermatologists may feel that there is enough scientific evidence to assist in the selection or avoidance of particular natural ingredients.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Bowe2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Fowler2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Baumann2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Reuter2010AJCD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Berton2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kessler2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tundis2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Bhuchar2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Silverberg2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).