Cosmetics, smoke, creams and poultices, half of which you’re not sure why you use, and yet more cosmetics. Painted, sprayed and rubbed onto our faces, the average person uses ten different skin care products on their body every day. The skin is not a barrier, though, and when we put a lot on our faces we are, by extension, absorbing a lot into our bodies, and we regularly expose ourselves to nearly 130 chemicals. Should we be doing something about it? These chemicals are mostly fine, in small doses at least, but I propose that when considering which lipstick or treatment to apply, we ought not put anything on our face that, flavour aside, we wouldn’t be comfortable ingesting.

“Tell yourself that if there are chemicals in a beauty product that you wouldn’t like to see appear on a list of ingredients in your food, don’t put them on your skin.”

Politics aside, we are fortunate to be members of the European Union where, among member states, they provide rules governing cosmetics that, for example, are not present in the US. Consequently, over 1,110 ingredients have been banned for use in cosmetics in the EU, ostensibly linked to issues such as birth defects, compared to only ten that have been banned in the US. However, it is still sometimes difficult to track the long term effects of chemicals on the skin. It is also worth noting that for those with sensitive skin, the fragrances and preservatives found in many cosmetics and skin care products are liable to cause reactions that more natural products do not.

The counter-argument is, of course, that this is not always the case and that people with different skin types may react to many different things in a very personal way. For those with broken skin or eczema, ingredients such as citrus and tea tree oil can be an irritant more than anything else and, much like food, certain people will still have an allergic reaction. All bodies are different and knowing and taking pride in your own body, whether this is regarding how to dress or what to put in it or anything else, is invaluable, and something which more and more people are becoming aware of. Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of what they put on their bodies, as well as in their bodies, and there is a growing trend towards more ‘natural’ beauty and skincare alternatives.

The absolute joy of a tasty face mask cannot be overstated, and is beaten only by the dual pleasure and task satisfaction when you make it yourself and the realisation as to it working as well as any product you can buy off a shelf, often costing less and also being better for the environment. Back when microbeads were seemingly in every face scrub that didn’t appear to be working for my skin type, I discovered blueberries, honey and sugar. While this may sound like I discovered the joys of home baking, I actually found that mixing them together created a fantastic natural scrub, perfectly catered for my skin care needs. The antioxidants of the blueberries, the antiseptic qualities of honey and the use of sugar to scrub off dead skin complimented my combination skin perfectly, and left it feeling replenished. With the scrub I had leftover, I had the beginnings of a tasty smoothie.

While it is true that this can be more time-consuming than simply squeezing a clear liquid out of a tube and applying it to the face, it starts to feel worthwhile when one switches out a daily, and costly, beauty routine for a less regular, but more intensive, beauty regimen that actually allows a person to relax and enjoy the process of taking care of their body, rather than simply being a passive consumer of pre-made goods.

Sleep bare, not in sleepwear

Everything around us is composed of chemicals. Just like there are good and bad natural and synthetic ingredients, there are good and bad chemicals. Look at the list of ingredients and tell yourself that if those are chemicals that you wouldn’t like to see appear on a list of ingredients in your food, don’t put them on your skin, and maybe swap out a list of preservatives for a freshly mashed avocado once every so often too