7 mistakes when choosing a skincare

You are out of moisturiser and you wish to have a new one.

When it comes to choosing a skincare, what are the elements influencing your decision?  Are those decisions bringing benefits and positive results for your skin and your health?  Let's consider 7 mistakes commonly made by many people when choosing a skincare.

Mistake #1 - The price.  If the price is high it must be good.  Right?  Sometimes it might be true and other times it might not be the case.  Companies will look at their cost to produce the skincare plus the steps to reach the end consumer. And they also look at what are the prices on the market at the time.  If the prices paid are high, they will apply that price.  There is also the cost of the packaging, the marketing, the add, the model used in the photo to promote.  All these elements influence the price asked for the product.  It is not necessarily related to the results the product bring you.

Mistake #2 - The presentation look nice.  Sometimes a skincare is about how it will look on the shelf in the bathroom yet it has little to do with the efficiency of what is in the jar or the tube.  Aesthetic can influence the buying decision yet consider the end result you are after.

Mistake #3 - It contains these amazing ingredients which are said to be good for the skin.  Legally companies are obligated to list the active ingredients.  They do not have to list all the ingredients.  This means some unlisted ingredients might be there for example to adjust the colour (because of the chemical reaction of two or more components), or filler to increase the volume of the final product.  More and more companies offering natural skincare do list the complete list of ingredients of their products.  This allows you to make an informed decision of what will you apply onto your skin.  We can also question the necessity of accessing ingredients from the other end of the world.  Instead we can choose to support companies which use first local, certified organic ingredients thus decreasing the footprint of the product used.  Are the ingredients made from herbs or other botanicals?  What is their form?  Are the herbal extract made with ethanol which tends to dry out the skin or are they made from infused oil?  Which oils are being used in the formulation?  Are they beneficial for your skin type?  There is also the question of preservative.  Are they synthetic which have been known to accumulate in the body.  Or are they natural preservative such as citrus seed extract?  These are some of the questions you can consider when selecting your skincare.

Mistake #4 -The scent is beautiful.  Your sense of smell is directly related to our brain and thus influence your mood and feelings.  A scent can be linked to a feeling of wellbeing, of love, of ease.  Be aware as to the origin of the scent. Is it from artificial fragrances or pure essential oils. The latter will be more beneficial for your health and for your skin long term.  Artificial fragrances as well as phthalates (which help to anchor the fragrances) have been linked to endocrine glands disruption in our bodies.  The endocrine system is an important system of our body orchestrating many reactions in our body.  It is best to support, nurture and care for this essential system and keep away chemical which can affect it adversely.

Mistake #5 - It is organic.  Be mindful of the word "organic" on skincare.  Some companies use this term in the name of their registered business.  An ingredient can be "organic" as in naturally occurring in nature.  This does not necessarily mean that the product is certified organic.  For a skincare to be "certified organic" it needs to have 95% of its ingredients certified organic so approved by an organic certification with inspection and verification completed every year.  Being "organic"  is not the same as being "certified organic"

Mistake #6 - It is natural.  The term "natural" can be quite large in its application. It can mean that the ingredients are vegetable base, naturally occurring with very little or no transformation applied to it.

Mistake #7 - I have always use this skincare.  Habits can be great.  They make the decision process easy and effortless.  Yet every now and again, it might be to your benefit to question and review some of these decisions made a long time ago.  A change is as good as a holiday, they say.  I suggest you look at the list of ingredients in your skincare.  Look at the results you are getting.  Consider the ethos of the company you are supporting.  What is their story?  Where do they come from?  What is their aim?  Are they listening to you and your needs?