Natural & Organic Skincare products – Money Spinners or Genuinely Better for you?

We all like to believe that if something says 'natural' or 'organic' that it must be better for you than the alternatives, but is this just another set of cleverly thought out marketing drives and gimmicks? It is after all a sad fact of life that where there is money to be made there will be rats who try and take advantage of this. I am not an expert on the effects of chemicals in skincare but wanted to present my views as from my experience there are genuine skincare companies out there that are trying to make a difference and do really care about the products they sell: Do I really need to buy organic and natural products as the just seem to be more expensive and it is drying up my already barely flowing, credit crunch munched finance river? I am not going to advocate buying natural and organic products for the sake of the alternatives as ultimately we all need to consider the benefits and risks and make our own choices. At the same time though do I believe in natural and organic skincare products as a better choice? The answer for me is most definitely yes. They have made a massive difference to the way my skin looks and feels and the knowledge I have that I am not putting potentially harmful chemicals onto my skin is greatly reassuring. It is great to know that I am using product made by people who put what is best for me as a consumer ahead of share price value. Not to mention the natural and organic products themselves are really improving in terms of packaging and general presentation which makes them a very fun and edgy alternative. Is it really worth the money? Again it comes down to economic principles. As there are a few huge skincare companies driving the market they are best placed to take advantage of marketing drives, influencing consumer preference and just generally being out there (when last have you gone an entire day without seeing an advert by one of the big boys?). Because of this they are able to mass produce products cheaper than other smaller organic and natural skincare companies. The other fact is that massive companies are going to try and maximize profits for shareholders and will as such use the most economically viable products not necessarily what might be best for you the consumer for example organic alternatives. So the answer is if you want to follow a natural and organic lifestyle you are going to have to pay a premium for the privilege. So the brutally honest answer to whether they are money spinners or Genuinely good for you is that it is a little bit of both. There are people out there piggy backing the rising desire to follow a healthy lifestyle and cloaking old products as 'new natural ingredients' and others who are not trying to make a quick buck and do things for more altruistic personal reasons. It all comes back to you as the consumer, do not be afraid to challenge companies and do your own research. After all an informed decision is better than a decision on its own.