Natural cosmetology: an excellent alternative.

Although some underestimate it and do not believe it is a science, it must be clear that it is, since to meet its objectives it makes use of the scientific method, whether to test new technologies or natural products or not and to determine the beneficial or harmful effects of some procedure or substance.

The project I did was about natural cosmetology; Which is what I'll talk about in this post.

Some people are susceptible to products made from artificial chemical compounds, either because they damage the skin, hair or nails, hypersensitivity or irritation or simply because of beliefs and culture prefer products made from elements found in nature, these products would be natural cosmetics.

possible adverse reaction

Some studies suggest that these products based on natural compounds reduce the risk of adverse reactions.

Many companies can claim that their products are natural or organic but we as consumers how would we know that this is really true? Well, with international certifications, a well-known is Ecocert that is responsible for giving the go-ahead to these products, be they products for hair, skin, nails, some foods, garments, etc.

Not only they certify that the products are of natural base, but also that their production is friendly to the environment as part of promoting sustainable development.

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Although it is not everything, the key to achieving an Ecorcert certification is the origin of the ingredients

The natural ingredients can be classified as vegetables, which can be used for the vast majority but not genetically modified (GMO), this group includes marine vegetables such as seaweed. The mineral ingredients, of this there is a list and its extraction procedure has to be standardized and that does not harm nature. They can also be used ingredients of animal origin but with certain restrictions for example that the item you want to obtain does not exist in the plant kingdom, that the animal does not suffer any type of damage or imbalance and the use of chemical substances in the animal for the extraction of the compound.

There is a list of artificial compounds that can be used as an exception, with a preservative function more than anything and can only be present in 5% of the final product.

Among these compounds is salicylic acid, which is used as a preservative or active substance in anti-acne products.

We also have a very good commercial preparation to be used as a preservative, it is based on benzyl alcohol, glycerin, benzoic acid and sorbic acid.

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Salix alba from where they extract salicylic acid

Decide which preservative requires an exhaustive investigation since many of them require specific conditions for what is only useful in certain products, for example the commercial preparation mentioned above only works in a Ph of 5 approximately.

There are two special groups of ingredients; those obtained by biotechnology, which is the use of technology to obtain substances from living organisms; in this case one could mention the fermentation using enzymes for example that are of natural origin and are not genetically modified and the other group includes plant stem cells, in general a stem or pluripotential cell is one that can be divided and differentiated in any type of cell of the system to which it belongs, of course.

The use of these stem cells is controversial, some research suggests that they can increase some compounds found naturally, for example in the case of the skin would promote the synthesis of collagen, is still being investigated on its use.

An example of stem cells are those found in the blastocyst, these can be differentiated in any tissue of the body

Finally it is important to mention some products that fall into this category:

• Soaps
• Creams: moisturizing, anti-aging, lightening, firming, etc.
• Shampoo and conditioners.
• Fragrances
• Deodorants
• Anti acne products.
• Lubricants
• Exfoliants

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It should also be mentioned that in addition to Ecocert there are other organizations in charge of certifying said products and their elaboration process.

References

• González F, et al. History and present of skin care products, cosmetics and fragrances. Especially those derived from plants. Ars Pharm. 2017; 58(1): 5-12
• Dweck A. Formulating with natural ingredients. Allured’s cosmetics and toiletries. 2011; 116 (5) 56-59
• Millikan L. Cosmetology, Cosmetics, Cosmeceuticals: Definitions and Regulations. Clinics in dermatology 2001.
• M. TERESA ALCALDE Cosmética natural y ecológica. Regulación y clasificación. Offarm 2008;27:96-104