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I’ve been making organic skin products and writing about the harmful chemicals in mainstream brands for over 16 years. And it still bewilders me that so many formulas contain some seriously scary chemicals. The simple message I’ve tried to convey is that our skin does not need these chemicals to look really great. Conversely, the chemicals do far more harm than good. Don’t get caught up in all the hype . . . like I did recently.

Case in Point
A few months ago someone sent me a link to a video of a woman who had seriously saggy bags under her eyes. She was all excited that she had found this eye cream that tightened up her under-eye bags, and via her Youtube video she proceeded to apply the cream to one under-eye area. Sure enough, that area seemed to lift and tighten. And fast! I mean within seconds! 
I was electrified! 
I searched and searched, but I couldn’t find an ingredients list for this particular product. I went ahead and bought it anyway because, DAMN THE CHEMICALS, the results were so miraculous and so satisfyingly fast. I don’t even have bags under my eyes but it was to be my insurance policy proofing me against ever having to worry about under-eye bags, just as long as I had this cream in my anti-aging arsenal. (I know! I’m laughing at me right now too!)
I remember being excited when my wonder cream finally arrived. I opened it and then I did the first thing I do with everything I pick up -- a food, a cosmetic, car shampoo, whatever -- I read the ingredients list.

And what a letdown that was! 
One of the main ingredients in my Fairy Godmother eye cream was . . . aluminum. 

You remember aluminum -- that heavy metal that has no known physiological benefit to the human body yet it has a habit of accumulating in the brain, liver, lungs, thyroid, and kidneys. Not to mention (but I will as a reminder) that it’s also positively linked with cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have even reported that it appears to rob bones of calcium which can lead to skeletal demineralization. 
The word aluminum makes me shutter with visions of thirty-year-olds hunched over their walking canes and complaining about their malfunctioning organs laden with metal, and ending every sentence with, “Wait, who are you again?”
Needless to say, I got my money back.    

So What is My Point

My point is, there is a right way to choose a moisturizer. It’s simple.

Your skin does not need chemicals to look better. Read the ingredients. Only use products with simple ingredients and delete the chemicals. A really great moisturizer only needs a few ingredients like organic oils that specifically heal and moisturize skin, water (or organic aloe, which is even better), an emulsifier to blend them, a thickener to give it a creamy consistency and if it’s prepared correctly, it does not even need a chemical preservative. It’s that simple. That’s how I make mine. 

Photo credit: BP photo stock, Christina Moss Natural