Do I need organic skin care products if I have sensitive skin?

I am often asked, “What is the best organic skin care for sensitive skin?”

My answer is always this: First, you need to know what type of sensitive skin you have. If you have the allergic type of sensitive skin, you need hypoallergenic skin care products.

When choosing the best skin-care products for sensitive skin, you might be inclined to look for organic ingredients. However, organic skin care products are not necessarily hypoallergenic.

In fact, plant-based products can cause an allergic reaction in those with allergies to the plant in the product. Don’t assume that just because it is organic that it is right for allergic skin.

WHAT IS

ORGANIC SKIN CARE?

By definition, organic skin-care products are those that contain ingredients available in nature. According to the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) website, the U.S. government does not regulate the use of terms like “natural” and “organic” for cosmetic products. Therefore, there are no hard-and-fast rules as to what makes a product organic.

It’s also important to note that many plants contain common allergens, even though they are considered by most to be “natural” ingredients — some organically grown without pesticides or other chemicals. So some organic ingredients are not suitable for those with sensitive or reactive skin types.

Essential oils, for example, are made of the “essence” of oils, which means they have the fragrance chemicals from the oil, but none of the soothing fatty acids that regular oil will have. For this reason, essential oils are much more likely to cause skin allergy in hypersensitive skin than regular oils are.

Organic laundry detergents are another common cause of skin allergy. Just because something is organic does not mean it is hypoallergenic.

WHAT CAUSES AN ALLERGIC SKIN REACTION?

Skin allergies occur when IgE antibodies come into contact with an allergen. This causes an inflammatory pathway to turn on, which leads to increased levels of histamine. Increased histamine causes blood vessels to dilate and become “leaky,” which causes redness, swelling and itching.

Not everyone will respond the same way to the same allergen, so if you are having an allergic reaction to your skin-care routine, you will need to gradually eliminate each product you use from your routine until you find out which product or ingredient your skin is adversely reacting to. You can also make an appointment with your dermatologist for an allergy test.

BOTTOM LINE

Organic skin care products can be wonderful, and I am a fan of them. The point is that if you have allergic sensitive skin, you need to look for the hypoallergenic label, not the organic label. You need to get a patch test from a dermatologist and figure out what plant or ingredient you are allergic to, and then avoid any skin-care products — organic or synthetic — that has that ingredient.