Organic & natural, know the difference

The beauty industry is overflowing with products that claim to do miracles for the skin and hair under the label of " organic" and " natural". Whether the products are well-researched and medically tested is often a blur. Mumbai-based dermatologist and beauty expert, Dr Jaishree Sharad* helps you understand the basics before you make up your mind.

From food to cosmetics to skincare, it's the trend everywhere. The minute products are labeled as such, they are generally perceived to be relatively safe with results guaranteed. But hold on, don't reach for the product. Not yet. Know your skin type, the ingredients that you may be allergic to and read up more on the latest findings before you take home an expensive, natural or organic product that may not suit you at all.

What Is Organic?
Organic beauty products are made of plant-based ingredients that are grown without the use of fertilisers and pesticides. Instead organic farmers develop a healthy fertile soil by growing and rotating a mix of crops (to replace nutrients taken from the soil by previous crops), adding organic materials such as compost or manure to the soil.

1. Organic products don't have ingredients that are genetically modified.
2. They are free of petrochemicals.
3. They are not tested on animals.
4. They are subjected to minimal processing so that the raw materials do not lose their natural properties after extraction and processing.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) lists the following: "100 percent organic": Excluding salt and water + the product must contain ingredients that have been only organically produced.

"Organic": Excluding salt and water + the product must contain at least 95 percent of organically produced ingredients. "Made with organic ingredients": Excluding salt and water + the product must contain at least 70 percent organically produced ingredients. Also look out for vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids, phytosterols and enzymes in your organic creams as they are good for the skin.

What Is Natural?
1. There are no legal regulations or guidelines for natural products.
2. The products are made of anything that grows naturally or is found in nature such as a plants and minerals.
3. Natural products are not produced in a laboratory.
4. They are free of common chemicals such as artificial fragrances, preservatives, colourants and other synthetic additives. But this does not necessarily mean that they have organic ingredients. For example, green tea extract is natural but the green tea leaves may have been sprayed with insecticides which makes it natural but not organic. n Natural products may not always be safe. For example, you can't preserve apple pulp in a jar and use it on your skin for days, because a million microbes will grow over the pulp. A certain level and type of preservative may be required to protect such " natural" ingredients from becoming rancid.

What To Look Out For
A quality natural product should not include ingredients such as parabens, petrochemicals, sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates, phthalates, synthetic colours and synthetic dyes.

Ingredients to avoid in natural and organic productsSome common ingredients such as cinnamon, thyme, peppermint, lemon grass, lime, lavender oil, witch hazel, clove and ylang ylang may cause skin irritation and allergic reactions, particularly for those with sensitive skin. Also, natural as well as organic products that have fragrances may cause allergic or Irritant Contact Dermatitis (ICD is an inflammation of the skin typically manifested by erythema, mild edema, and scaling). So if you have sensitive skin, stay away from all fragrance-based products, even if natural. To reiterate, although there is no evidence or research-based data to prove that natural or organic ingredients are superior to synthetic ingredients in skincare products, there's no harm in using them as long as you have no allergic reaction.