
Using natural ingredients in beauty products is nothing new. But if you were shopping natch cosmetics a decade or more ago, you know how far these beauties have come. Natural beauty items of today perform like mainstream cosmetics and personal care, and have a lot more to offer, too.
What’s the driving force behind these advances? Consumer demand. The thriving health and wellness market has spilled over into cosmetics and personal care. Research shows that beauty shoppers are into food-based and probiotic beauty, as well as holistic and anti-pollution products.
While certain products started out reasonably similar to their chemical counterparts (performance-wise), certain items were a bit … well … less pleasant. For instance, the first deodorants to hit the natural beauty scene way back when did little in the way of keeping your pits fresh. And let’s just say the initial round or two of mineral sunscreens were something only a product manufacturer could love.
Let’s take a look at the natural beauty products that have made the greatest strides. You’d never know these categories used to be anything but great.
5 Natural Beauty Products Most Improved in the Past Decade (or Who’s Come the Longest Way, Baby)
1. Sunscreen: Really, need we say more? It wasn’t that long ago (a few years, maybe?) that natural sunscreens were a nightmare to use. We knew we should use them for better protection and health, but the greasy, glaring white experience left much to be desired.
Thankfully, those days are gone. You can now get yourself a totally nontoxic mineral sunscreen that is non-greasy and invisible on skin, like Suntegrity. Yes, even for face. Not sure where to begin? Take a swing over to our sister site and check out Organic Authority’s Sunscreen Guide for a sun protection product to suit every body part and skin type.
2. Deodorant: This product is one of the most difficult switches to make. Natural deodorants have developed a rather bad rep for underperformance. Sure, there are still those around that offer little more than water to keep you fresh. But there are also many natural deodorants available that do a great job of staving off odor and even help to absorb wetness.
Soapwalla Deodorant Cream is the OG of natural deodorants that work. Read up on more products and tips to keep you odor free.
3. Mascara: While many natural makeup started out pleasing customers, mascara wasn’t one of them. A decade ago, it seemed you had two choices — super thin and non-existent on lashes or ultra-thick and clumpy. And neither option stayed put for long. Well, today’s natural mascaras make those original formulas look pretty pathetic.
From lengthening and volumizing mascaras, to those that come in a variety of colors, products like Ilia Mascara are long lasting and give great lash. Still no natural waterproof mascaras. But since most of those make your eyelashes fall out, do we really want that anyway?
4. Hair care: Shampoos and conditioners of yester-decade were one size fits all. As in, if you had strong, thick, well behaved hair, they probably worked. At least for a while. The rest of us were left with a limp, waxy mess.
New formulas mean hair care is now suited to all hair types, and makes tresses look and feel lovely. While there are many nontoxic shampoos and conditioners in a range of prices, the brand that offers the ultimate experience in natural hair care has to be Rare El’Ements.
5. Personal scent: All I can say is, some of the first natural perfume creators had awesome copywriters. You’d read the description, order the scent, and be very disappointed. Every single time. Why did they all smell exactly the same? Like a combination of grain alcohol and heavy-handed essential oil experimentation.
Not so today. Choose from a selection of personal scents that smell lovely. From fruits, to florals, to woody aromas, you are sure to find a new scent you’ll love. Josh Rosebrook Ethereal is a definite crowd pleaser.
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