The label “organic” means that the product in question has 95 percent organic ingredients. Things that contain carbon are considered organic. Therefore, a product with 95 percent carbon-based ingredients can be called organic. In the case of cosmetics and skin care products, this means that if a product contains petroleum or petroleum-based ingredients, it can still be labeled organic. For example, methylparaben, a suspected carcinogen, is petroleum-based and present in many skin care products. Clearly, when you think “organic skin care” you do not think of crude oil and potentially getting breast cancer. You should always make sure an organic skin care product meets your personal requirements as well as the law’s before you buy.

To get real organic skin care that meets your expectations, think ahead of time about what you want. Most people want natural, unaltered ingredients whenever possible. (Of course there may be some basic processing and preservatives in there for health reasons.) Green products are also important to people when they think organic. They want to know that they have invested in a product that did not harm the environment.

In the end, the best way to get the product you want is to read the label. Identify ingredients that were derived from something else. For example, say you spot “Cocamide-DEA derived from coconut oil.” This can be claimed to be “natural” or “organic” because it is a compound that comes from a natural substance. However, the processing includes the use of a known carcinogen. Generally, derived ingredients are not actually organic in the way that most of us like to think of organic.

You can also use water content to evaluate how truly organic a product is. Often, a label of 75 percent organic merely indicates about 75 percent water in the product. This is why generally organic skin care products should be entirely organic, or not considered organic at all.

The benefits of using truly organic skin care products are immense. Your skin is a natural organ and will benefit from natural elements. However, in order to get true value from organic skin care, you need to understand how to spot the “good stuff” and how to spot a wolf in organic clothing.

This information provided as a courtesy of http://www.BeautyCtr.com, America’s leading source of free, unbiased information and reviews about health and beauty products.

Technorati Tags: clinique, decleor, healthy skin, makeup, natural skin care, olay, organic skin care, skin care