Lately, it seems that there has been a huge increase in the buzzwords and demand of “natural ingredients” in our grooming products. Although this extends far beyond the beard grooming industry, today, we’re going to talk about the effects of natural ingredients as opposed to their synthetic counterparts in terms of the beard product market. Natural beard products are more common now than ever, and it’s worth exploring why that is.
First, let’s talk about what constitutes a “natural ingredient” because the definition between natural and synthetic may not be as clear as you think. For example, synthetic ingredients can actually be made from natural raw materials. As is the case with plastic being made from cellulose, coal, crude oil, and more.
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What Are Natural Ingredients?
L’Oreal defines a “natural ingredient” in the hair and skin-care market as a chemical compound that comes from a plant, mineral, animal, or microbial kingdom. Extracted without changing or altering it’s basic structure or properties. Oppose this to synthetic ingredients, which are usually mass-produced in labs where they can be made (relatively cheaply) in large quality-controlled batches.
Believe it or not, natural ingredients aren’t all positive, and synthetic ingredients aren’t all negative. We’ll talk about why this is later.
Some products contain a mixture of natural and synthetic ingredients. For example, some beard oils contain a natural base oil with synthetic fragrances, etc. Some beard oils contain all-natural ingredients, and some are all-synthetic. But what’s the difference between natural and synthetic ingredients for beard products? And can you really notice those differences?
Benefits of Natural Beard Products
Let’s talk about the benefits and disadvantages of natural ingredients in your beard products. It’s important to keep in mind that you may think that a product made with all natural ingredients has no potential downsides, and although there aren’t many, there are some that are worth considering. However, let’s talk about the benefits first!
Skin-Friendly
Organic ingredients tend to be more skin-friendly than synthetic counterparts. Take beard dyes for example. Many dyes contain chemical compounds like PPD, ammonia, and more that have been prone to causing allergic reactions in the past. In fact, certain ingredients found in dyes are actually not FDA approved for contact with skin at all.
More natural dyes and beard colors are reaching the market, and have since solved many of those issues without the need for synthetic materials.
Environmentally-Friendly
One of the most obvious pros in favor of natural ingredients is their inherent environmental friendliness. Think of it this way: Natural ingredients, when disposed, are simply returned to nature. After all, they are compounds that can be found natural as well. So, when you discard
They Leave Little Room For Question
With natural ingredients you rarely have to question what the long-standing effects of those ingredients are. Unlike synthetic ingredients, natural ingredients have most often been around long enough for us to understand how they affect our hair/skin over time.
Downsides To Natural Ingredients?
There is really only 1 negative in terms of having natural ingredients in your beard products.
Cost
Because natural ingredients must be extracted and not created from scratch, there tends to be less batch volume. This scarcity can drive prices up, especially considering there is less direct control over batch quality as well.
It’s the simple truth that modern legislation tends to place more focus on sustaining the procurement of natural ingredients than limiting the environmental effects of synthetic and industrial run-off.
Are Synthetic Beard Products Bad?
This is not an easy question to answer. Not all synthetic ingredients are made the same way. It’s generally safe to say that most common natural ingredients are better overall than their synthetic counterparts. At least when considering a similar purpose in terms of beard and skin care products.
- Synthetic ingredients (due to cruelty laws) haven’t been tested on a variety of animals and plants, meaning their effect on those creatures is relatively unknown when disposed of. Put simply, natural ingredients have already shown their effects on the environment.
- The process of manufacturing synthetic ingredients is more environmentally taxing, often requiring chemical processes and run-off waste that is usually negative for the environment.
What To Look For In Natural Beard Products
Some examples of ingredients to look for in natural beard products include natural base and carrier oils like argan oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, castor oil, and more. These oils are very common and often used in natural beard and skincare products.
But, what are some synthetic ingredients to look out for and avoid in hair and skin products? Some of these more harmful ingredients include parabens, petrochemicals, sulfates, synthetic dyes, and more. Keep away from these and steer towards more natural ingredients and your beard will thank you!
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