This trend toward natural ingredients continues to rise even though their efficacy, in many cases, is unsubstantiated. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there is no factual or scientific basis for assuming that cosmetics, creams or shampoos with added naturally-derived ingredients, those extracted directly from plant or animal products, are beneficial. At the same time FDA does not say that natural substances are bad for the body either. And although FDA does not recognize naturally-derived ingredients as having any substantiated benefits when used topically, there are many natural substances that the general public believes are beneficial and they are the ones shelling out their money for products.
According to Nutrition Business Journal, the natural personal care market is considered a high growth niche, expected to expand at an annual rate of 20-25%. This is significant compared to the 5-10% overall growth rate of the cosmetics industry. In 1999, natural personal care products made up 10% or $3.6 billion of the $36 billion health and beauty care products market. Sales of natural personal care products are believed to have done even better than expected in 2000, doubling to more than $7 billion.
Naturally Good
Of all the natural ingredients found in personal care products, aloe vera is one of the most common. Not only is aloe believed to be good for rashes and burns, it also hydrates the skin without the use of oils. Other substances long believed to have topical efficacy include sesame oil, which is used as a skin softener and for protection against ultraviolet rays, and green tea, reputed to have antioxidant properties and, like sesame oil, also provide protection against UV damage. Papaya with its papain enzyme helps the skin rejuvenate itself by sloughing off dead skin cells and is used in masks and scrubs. Rose hip oil helps diminish fine lines and is best when used in masks and moisturizers. Witch hazel from the Hamamelis plant is a soothing and mild astringent that helps shrink pores. Strawberries have a cleansing, softening and astringent effect on the skin and can be used to combat oily skin. Jojoba oil moisturizes without clogging pores. Oatmeal is well known for its soothing and softening properties and its ability to draw out skin impurities. Among herbs, chamomile, melissa, calendula, elder flower, fennel, nettle, lady's mantle, mint and yarrow are reputed to be among the most effective ingredients.
Although these natural ingredients enjoy a reputation of being beneficial, that by no means indicates that all naturally-derived ingredients are meant to be used on the body, nor does it suggest that natural ingredients-especially in the amount they appear in many of today's top-selling personal care formulas-provide superior body care compared to synthetic ingredients.
"The notion that natural ingredients are better than synthetics just isn't true," said Paula Begoun, a cosmetics consumer advocate and author of The Beauty Bible and Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me. "While vegetable or plant oils may sound like they're better for the skin, dimethicone and cyclomethicone (silicone oils) are actually far more beneficial and show up in over 80% of all skin care and makeup products on the market."
Ms. Begoun and other cosmetic experts and chemists also warn against the use of essential oils on the skin because even though they are natural, they can cause allergic reactions. "Ingredients like almond extract, cinnamon, grapefruit, jojoba oil, lavender oil, papaya, peppermint and tea tree oil, while they sound exotic, may cause irritation and possibly sun sensitivity. Natural ingredients do not guarantee a superior product," she said.
"It is difficult to separate the marketing aspects from clinical efficacy when it comes to products containing natural ingredients," added Dr. Murad Alam, dermatologist, Skin Care Physicians of Chestnut Hill, MA. "Due to consumer demand, it is in the best interest of companies to include as many ingredients as they can, especially those that have been mentioned to have efficacy by the media or in scientific journals. Smaller concentrations of these ingredients are preferred because they are less expensive than higher concentrations and because, from a chemistry aspect, it is easier to maintain lower concentrations of many of these natural substances."
Dr. Alam added that because there is so little scientific data concerning many natural ingredients found in personal care products, there are no real guidelines to how much of a substance need be present in a product to prove beneficial.
"The amount of an ingredient needed to be efficacious depends on the ingredient," Dr. Alam said. "For instance, tretinoin creams, the prescription version of retin A, has been shown to be clinically effective as a skin rejuvenator in concentrations of 1/400 of 1%. Some data is also slowly emerging on the topical efficacy of some vitamins and the data on vitamin C looks promising. The efficacy of topical vitamin E, however, is a little more dubious, though it has been proven to provide some UV protection."
"C" The Difference
Of all the vitamins used in personal care products, antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E and coenzyme Q10 are those most frequently found, especially in skin care, while B vitamins are most widely used in hair care products. Vitamin C seems to be the trendy skin care ingredient of the moment. Unlike some of its predecessors, however, there seems to be some actual basis in fact to its topical potency.
According to the first topical vitamin C clinical study using optical profilometry published in the Journal of the Archives of Otolaryngology (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1999;125:1091-1098), the topical use of vitamin C showed efficacy in the reduction of fine lines, wrinkles and photo damage.
The double-blind, randomized study, conducted by Dr. Stephen Traikovich, a Phoenix, AZ-based facial and reconstructive surgeon, included subjects who used a control agent on half of their face each day and an active topical vitamin C agent on the other half. Optical profilometry, an objective method for the quantification of facial wrinkles, was assigned a numeric value based on its depth. At the conclusion of Dr. Traikovich's study, optical profilometry quantified a 73% improvement on the side of the face treated with the vitamin C agent. Moreover, the study revealed dramatic visual improvements on subjects when comparing each side of the face with an 84% improvement in fine lines and wrinkles, skin tone and firmness.
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