Overhaul of skincare

[mellongoose]

Having started to do better with cutting out UPF from my diet, I want to try the same with my skincare.

Not sure where to start tbh. When I look at the ingredients on products in Boots or the supermarket, there really isn't a lot of choice.

Does it need to be organic to be non ultra processed? Can anyone recommend any brands or people to follow on instagram who look at these types of products?

Particularly thinking of day moisturiser/night cream, toner, maybe even shampooing/soap.

Thanks

As long as you are not eating it, I don't think it matters?

Natural skin care is a con. Are Natural Skin Care Products Worth the Hype? (clevelandclinic.org)

It sort of does matter as your skin is your largest organ and absorbs everything you smother on it.

Skincare doesn't penetrate beyond the superficial layers. You're buying into the scaremongering of the wellness world which is an easy hop and a skip into anti-vax and other science denialism. As per pp, natural skincare isn't anything regulated, it's predominantly marketing. There are some good environmental reasons to go for 'natural' skincare but not from a personal health perspective.

You will find the brands advertising themselves as “clean” will be more expensive.
One of the difficulties you will find is some chemicals are actually of benefit in stopping the product from going off. You can find your expensive cream hasn’t lasted long enough to use up.
It’s also difficult to find truly “clean” products because the chemicals are needed to create the consistency.
That said, it’s pretty easy to find creams that use a majority of plant-based oils and ingredients. Glossier, Origins, Drunk Elephant, Summer Fridays, Kate Somerville, Necessaire, Lanolips, Cultured, RMS Beauty, Sans Ceuticals.
One of the other problems is the essential oils used to fragrance the products can be irritating. Be aware that you can get reactions to natural ingredients, too.

If you look at Korean brands like Isntree, Cosrx and I’m From you’ll find loads of moisturisers and toners based on mugwort, honey, birch sap, rice - much cheaper than the western brands.

It really doesn't. One of its primary functions is to keep stuff out.

"clean beauty" is a marketing ploy., as a dermatologist I follow says, if it's on sale it's safe.

I don't think 'clean beauty' is necessarily a con however there is no definitive definition. I know my skin does react to certain chemical preservatives and I can avoid a lot of skin reactions by either buying organic as they don't contain them or checking labels extensively to avoid some of the most irritating suspects.

The knowledge regarding what is safe is constantly evolving and our legislation is not always at the forefront. For example, the chemical preservative BHT is banned in Europe but still legal here although it is being phased out.

I've recently discovered this website which rates irritant potential & explains ingredients.

https://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/research/consumers-market/news/21843904/whats-in-my-jar-analyzes-product-efficacy-and-irritant-potential

I'm afraid I don't know how accurate or reliable it is.

Has anyone else used it?

I did read once on S&B that the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is mainly green activism & don't really use that anymore as I have sensitive / reactive skin but am happy to use chemist brands.

And it's not just the ingredients themselves but how responsibly they are sourced and how responsibly the product is manufactured.

There has been known problems with asbestos contamination, for example, in talc and mica mining with regards to cosmetic ingredients.

Yes this.