NATURAL BUT INEFFICIENT
When it comes to beauty products, there is this myth that chemicals are always bad for the skin. There is a misconception that 100% natural is safe and effective and anything that sounds like a chemical is unsafe. This is completely wrong. ‘Natural’ is not always best rowsing the Internet for chemical-free products will bring up a thousand options — from sunscreens and vitamins to eatables and whatnots. More than often, people fall for well-known brands’ eye-catching packaging and tall claims of being
100% natural.
Dr Ajay Rana, Founder & Director, Institute of Laser and Aesthetic Medicine (ILAMED), is a dermatologist and an aesthetic physician who tries to clear up the misconceptions around chemicals. “When it comes to beauty products, there is this myth that chemicals are always bad for the skin. There is a misconception that
100% natural is safe and effective and anything that sounds like a chemical is unsafe. This is completely wrong. ‘Natural’ is not always best,” he says.
In fact, almost no chemical can be called good or bad — it all depends on how much chemical there is and where it is.
Nikhil Maheshwari, a director at MPIL Wellness, is clear that we should weigh up the pros and cons before coming to conclusions. “Chemicals are not always bad. Even if we talk about
herbs, it is the naturally derived chemicals present in the herbs that
work on specific
Founder & Director, Institute of Laser
and Aesthetic Medicine (ILAMED)
concerns. So, chemicals that are naturally derived have a high efficacy rate in the long run. The ‘bad’ chemicals that we hear about are harmful chemicals that have no benefits and are only detrimental for the body,” explains Nikhil.
So, ‘natural’ may not always be the best. For instance, Vitamin C extracted from a natural source like orange, lime or kakadu plum may not be as potent and thus beneficial to the skin as compared to the chemical formulation of Vitamin C made from ascorbic acid or ethyl ascorbic acid in the lab.
Then again, Dr Ajay Rana points out that it’s not about putting a bunch of ingredients together. “There are so many nuances to be considered. For one, the product has to be stable, and its pH has to be right for the Indian skin,” explains the doctor. “People who use skincare products generally believe that a product with a ‘natural’ tag is good and safe for the skin, which is not always the case. It’s important to balance nourishment and safety with efficacy.”