This Rousseauist idea that adorns nature with all virtues and blames chemistry for all evils is a widespread shortcut that has been taken too quickly in recent years, particularly in cosmetics. Is it really true?
Over the years, we have seen natural ingredients become selling points: "with shea, aloe vera, green tea..." are now written in large letters on many products, alongside claims of ever-higher percentages of ingredients of natural origin. Naturalness has won the day and we can only be happy about it. But be careful not to be fooled by certain greenwashing arguments. And besides, is natural necessarily a guarantee of better quality and effectiveness for the skin? As is often the case, we need to look more closely and add nuances.
More natural, undeniable progress
We are now far from the cosmetics of the 1980s and 1990s, which were very chemical and full of active ingredients whose names we could neither pronounce nor what they were made of.
The turning point of the 2000s
Let us remember that European regulations were among the most drastic and the cosmetic sector was extremely closely monitored, due to the Morhange talc tragedy that occurred in 1972. A handling error led to an overdose of a powerful bactericide in Morhange baby talc, resulting in the death of 36 infants and the poisoning of 168 others. This tragedy left strong scars and gave rise to the French Law of 1975 and the European Directive of 1978, on the regulation and regulation of cosmetics.
But the 1970s remained the years of technicality, where chemistry rhymed with performance, and where natural was still synonymous with "hippie" with a lingering scent of patchouli.
The 2000s marked a turning point with, on the one hand, the creation in 2002 of the Cosmébio Charter which defined organic cosmetics , which then emerged from its Larzac-stamped ghetto, and on the other hand, the Envoyé Spécial broadcast in March 2005 which threw a spanner in the works of "conventional" cosmetics and parabens as fodder for the general public. Suspicion was born, natural became good, chemistry bad.
Cosmetics that “go green”
Little by little, natural ingredients have been gaining ground, beyond organic cosmetics which have played an important role as a spur as well as a troublemaker. All groups have greened their formulas, sought natural ingredients, local for some, exotic for others. Now, aloe vera, argan oil, shea butter, to name only the most common, are known and recognized by the general public and have become selling points.
And little by little, alongside star natural ingredients, laboratories have sought to eliminate from their formulas certain less interesting chemical ingredients – which we have gradually realized could disrupt the microbiota , when they are not downright irritating or suspected of being endocrine disruptors. It is a slow and long movement, difficult, because it supposes to review each formula from top to bottom and to learn another way of designing them.
Be careful, there is natural and natural origin
Natural or natural origin?

Since 2017, faced with organic cosmetics that have made their mark with very defined standards, the cosmetics industry has wanted to define what an organic ingredient is, a natural ingredient... The result was Standard 16128, which defines that "natural ingredients are cosmetic ingredients obtained exclusively from plants, animals, microorganisms or minerals". Pure vegetable oils and butters, essential oils and plant extracts without solvent or refining comply with this definition. In addition, "ingredients derived from natural materials are cosmetic ingredients, for a proportion of more than 50% of natural origin, which are obtained by defined chemical and/or biological processes aimed at chemically modifying them". And this is where the problem lies, because, in the consumer's mind, natural and natural origin are confused, and it must be admitted, manufacturers do nothing to dispel this confusion. So much so that we have since seen the emergence of stamps on products that say 95% natural origin, 99% natural origin, etc., where percentage and natural are written in large letters while "origin" seems to be disappearing. However, there is no requirement that the transformation be green chemistry , and thus a raw material can be considered to be of natural origin, even though it can contain up to 49% non-renewable resources.
The natural argument in a formula, which is not at all natural
Similarly, some formulas, under the pretext that they highlight a natural active ingredient, can, for the rest of the formula, contain all sorts of ingredients such as sulfates, silicones, preservatives, surfactants, etc. Whether for shower gels, hair products or care products, the argument is true everywhere. And what about makeup about the vegan argument that allows an extremely chemical product to do "greenwashing" under the pretext that it is PETA-stamped?
Natural, less toxic?
Now that we have seen that we should not be fooled by marketing arguments, let's say "exaggerated", what is the real situation for the skin?
Less toxic?
Of course, natural ingredients can be opposed to products of synthetic origin, especially when these are criticized. Among these, some pose a problem because they are not ecological but do not have an impact on human health: silicones, mineral oils, etc. Others can cause irritation, such as surfactants with sulfates. And finally, those suspected of being endocrine disruptors or carcinogens, such as triclosan, phthalates, oxybenzone and benzophenone, volatile silicones - octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and decamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D5). But there are also endocrine disruptors in natural ingredients: soy is an estrogen-like, lavender and tea tree essential oils are also suspected of being so.
The worst poisons exist in nature
After all, everything is chemistry. Plants are complex and the result of millions of years of chemical transformations. And in nature we find extremely toxic plants, and not only poisons like cyanide or hemlock. These poisons, with an infinitesimal range, are even used as medicines. Everything is always a question of dose, both in the natural and in the synthetic.
Conversely, if we took the argument to the extreme, we could even say that oil is natural.
Some natural ingredients are not suitable for all skin types
Natural cosmetics are not without danger either. Natural ingredients can be poorly tolerated. This is particularly the case with essential oils . Extremely powerful, they are classified as potentially allergenic, especially citrus oils. In fact, almost no essential oil is free of allergens and some are particularly irritating or sensitizing. Cinnamon essential oil can even be toxic.
This is why sensitive skin should avoid them or always try them out before adopting them. Reassuring fact: cosmetic brands dose them skillfully and the average percentage of essential oils used in an organic French facial treatment is low.
Natural, more active
One of the arguments often made would be that natural and organic are less effective. Let's say instead that they act differently, and require a little patience.
Better affinity

Natural active ingredients have a greater affinity with the natural constituents of the skin. This is particularly the case for oils and butters whose lipids, structurally very close to those of the skin, penetrate it easily and are quickly assimilated. They blend with our own lipids in the hydrolipidic layer. This is true for the skin, but also for the hair.
In particular, it has been realized that synthetic surfactants can unbalance the skin microbiota . As a result, more and more conventional brands are abandoning sulfates, exchanging synthetic surfactants for surfactants derived from coconut for a gentler and more biomimetic action. In general, natural ingredients are more respectful of the skin, its microbiota and its hydrolipidic film.
More active
Some of the ingredients derived from chemistry are inert or neutral, meaning they do not provide any real benefit to the skin or hair. This is the case for mineral oils, petroleum jelly, paraffin, etc. which certainly form a barrier preventing the evaporation of water from the skin, but do not treat it. Silicones do the same on the hair and provide slipperiness and softness to care and makeup, but without any care benefit. Thus, the base of a classic emulsion combining filtered/distilled water and synthetic oil is only a vector but does not provide anything active.
Complex and 100% active ingredients
Synthetic active ingredients are often monolithic. Made up of isolated molecules, they often have a targeted and unique action. Each plant is the fruit of millions of years of evolution. So much so that their extracts contain hundreds of active molecules. They contain vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, K, PP), antioxidants (polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, resveratrol), trace elements, amino acids and fatty acids (omega 3, 6, 9) and will thus act on all the vital functions of the skin: hydration, protection, regeneration, etc.
Likewise, oils and butters are rich in vitamins and fatty acids and provide suppleness, nutrition and tone.
So in the end, a real natural formula, without overly denatured ingredients – and even more so an organic formula – is almost 100% active.
Real effectiveness
For a while, it was more difficult to observe real effectiveness in natural cosmetics, and organic in particular, especially in anti-aging. As for hydration and nutrition, on the contrary, natural products often act more quickly due to their high concentration of active ingredients in affinity with the skin. In fact, the effectiveness required more patience to be visible. Because, as these components of natural or organic cosmetics are less targeted and have a more complex and diffuse action, their effectiveness seems less. But progress in green chemistry and biotechnology now allows these treatments to provide both sensoriality and effectiveness comparable to conventional products, which are increasingly abandoning synthetic ingredients to move closer to formulas with more naturalness.
Natural is indeed better for the skin, because it is more affinity and biomimetic, and more active. Provided you know how to read the labels and distinguish true natural from products that pretend to be. But be careful not to fall into Manichaeism by thinking that all natural is necessarily better. When you have sensitive, intolerant skin, a tendency to allergies, you pay attention to certain components which, although natural, may not be suitable or even irritating or allergenic.