With so many chemicals and substances going into your daily beauty products, you will never know what's actually happening to your skin. Your best bet? Opt for natural and organic ingredients as that's the way to go now when it comes to beauty and skincare.

Take a quick look at the ingredients label of any beauty products and you are bound to read a list of ingredients that don't mean a thing to you - Titanium Dioxide, Isopropyl Alcohol, Sodium Laureth Sulfate or Formalin. Sure they sound impressive and therefore should be the best ingredients for your skin, right?

Not quite. Many researches have shown that this impressive ingredients list could actually be causing you much harm. Take this for an example: the USA Environment Working Group (EWG at www.ewg.org), a non-profit organisation dedicated to public health and the environment, released its findings in which of the 7,500 beauty care products tested, only 28 came back with a safety stamp. What this means is that more than 90 percent of all the beauty products out there are actually bad for you! Not only that, the EWG also found that one in every 120 products analysed contained ingredients certified by the US government as known or probably carcinogens. Nearly one-third of the products contained ingredients classified as possible carcinogens. What is even more astounding is that 54 of the tested products even violate recommendations for safe use.

What does this all mean? Well, if you think that by using the skin cream with the latest technology and ingredient is the answer to beautiful skin, think again. Most beauty products contain synthetic ingredients. While some are good for you, but most can actually damage your skin by irritating it and causing premature ageing. In severe situations, it can even cause death.

Go Natural

Your solution to these harmful ingredients? Think natural. If you really want to look good and be sure that your beauty products are not causing you any harm, then forget about synthetic products and think instead of natural beauty products. Seems like more and more people are heeding this advice: According to the Organic Trade Association of USA, in year 2002, Americans spent USD$170 million on organic make-up and beauty products. This number obviously has increased over the years, making natural ingredients a top choice for many when picking out beauty and make-up products. The explanation behind this concept is easy: like your body, you would not eat food that is genetically engineered and contains a synthetic make up. So why you should then be slathering and smoothing on products that are unnatural and harmful to your skin?

The Pure Way

Easily defined, natural beauty products are products that are made up of natural ingredients. Some popular ingredients that have found their way into jars of creams are Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, grape seed oil, almond, vitamin C, tea-tree oil, oatmeal, jasmine, lavender and more. Many of these natural beauty products are made from plant based ingredients, not from chemicals. Therefore, you can be sure if Mother Nature planted these ingredients, they are safe to use.

Like eating organic food, using natural products on your skin can dramatically make it look and feel better. Rather than slather on ingredients that are developed in the laboratories, using nature's best will help build up your skin's defence system, allowing it to heal and react better with the environment. Not only that, it will also help your skin age gracefully, as it is not 'contaminated' with ingredients that are unsafe for you.

However, going natural when it comes to beauty should also be done cleverly. Don't be caught up in the organic trend too much; you still need to know what works for your skin and what doesn't.

Like any other ingredients, you will still need to read up on what exactly you are putting on your skin. As some skin type may react differently to each ingredient, learn which natural ingredients work best for you and buy products that are made of that ingredient to give your skin the optimum results.

Not too sure what natural ingredients to go for? Here are some of our favourites:

Mushroom

Mushrooms are well known for improving the appearance of your skin as well as reducing the signs of ageing. Mushrooms are also known as a powerful anti-oxidant, thus protecting your skin against harmful environmental pollutants.

Oatmeal

Known for its soothing effect on the skin, oatmeal is used to relive minor skin irritation and itching. It is a great ingredient for sensitive skin, so look out for products that are made of this ingredient to help you calm your skin down.

Soy

The latest natural ingredient to be used, soy is used to help improve skin's tone, texture and radiance

Aloe Vera

Known as a medicinal plant, it is no wonder why Aloe Vera is a popular choice when it comes to going natural for your beauty products. Aloe Vera helps repair as well as protect skin that is damaged by the sun. Not only that, it gives you further protection for skin that is healthy and radiant looking.

Olive Oil

Perfect for both the skin and hair, olive oil is used since many centuries ago to give skin adequate moisture. It is now found in many skin creams to prevent the skin from dehydrating.

Honey

Known for its natural anti-microbial and anti-oxidant properties, honey is used to retain and absorb moisture on the skin. It is often a popular ingredient for body lotions and skin creams

Seaweed

Not only are they good to eat, but seaweed is often used to enhance beauty, rehydrate and relieve skin from inflammation for a beautiful end result.

So, go ahead. Pick natural products and you can be sure your skin will go the long way!