9/28/2019 7 Natural Beauty Ingredients that Actually Work - The Chalkboard

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6.26.19 |The Chalkboard (https://thechalkboardmag.com/author/the-chalkboard),Photo Credit: Uma Oils

TCM Classics — This story on natural beauty ingredients originally ran in 2016 but we loved it so much weEnter your
decided first name
to bring it back.

JUNK FOOD FOR your pores? No thanks. When it comes to skincare, we believe that dramatic transformation shouldn’t involve drama or
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compromise. Sure, some lab-crafted, not-so-natural beauty products achieve impressive, tangible results, but often at the cost of damaging side effects both on
your skin and beneath it. Not for us. There has to be a better way!

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With roots in Ayurveda (https://thechalkboardmag.com/ayurveda-101-finding-balance-and-bliss) and holistic medicine, luxe beauty pro, Shrankhla Holecek
of Uma Oils (https://rstyle.me/+aKmCRsZz-63LG3_zG6Q7BA), knows that beauty is more than just skin deep – literally. She’s rounded up a list of seven eco-
sound, flesh-friendly beauty ingredient alternatives to give you amazing results without succumbing to harmful synthetics…

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9/28/2019 7 Natural Beauty Ingredients that Actually Work - The Chalkboard
Whether you’re an expert beauty buyer or just starting to explore your skincare routine options, chances are you’ve heard the buzz around skin-
saving ingredients like retinol, hyaluronic acid, alpha-hydroxy acids and others. Avoiding natural products because you can’t quite figure out the
comparable ingredient to look for? These seven natural compounds are just as effective as their chemically created counterparts, but without
the potential dangers of absorbing artificial ingredients into the skin. Here’s a breakdown of common beauty ingredients and their natural
beauty equivalent…

7 Natural Beauty Ingredient Swaps

ROSE OIL FOR H Y AL URO NIC AC ID

Chances are, if you’re a beauty junkie, this ingredient is a common sight on ingredient labels in your skincare arsenal. Hyaluronic acid is a
moisture-binding ingredient known for its supposed ability to carry 1,000 times its weight in water. Since it’s so impressively hydrating, you’ll
often find hyaluronic acid in anti-aging beauty products. But this synthetic ingredient has an equally potent natural complement: rose oil.
Intensely hydrating, rose oil (https://rstyle.me/+n6CyPnhswnYKR0Ii24dZkw) plumps and moisturizes your skin without any
potential chemical side effects. Due to its vitamin packed properties, rose oil (https://rstyle.me/+n6CyPnhswnYKR0Ii24dZkw) also acts as
anti-inflammatory agent, so it has the added benefit of soothing redness.

SANDAL WO O D FO R H Y D RO C O RTISO NE

Hydrocortisone, a topically applied steroid, is used to treat skin conditions like eczema and other rashes. Before resorting to this steroid to treat
sometimes painful conditions, consider sandalwood essential oil (https://rstyle.me/+PcDebHVTuQro4W_ERFqy6g), a rare but effective
natural ingredient. Sandalwood is ultra-moisturizing and anti-inflammatory, so it can be used to treat many of the conditions
hydrocortisone can. It works with the skin’s natural systems and helps boost overall luminosity and fights hyperpigmentation. That’s a win-
win-win for your skin!

FRANKINC ENSE FO R RETINO L

Beauty aficionados are no stranger to seeing retinol on their product labels, especially those who buy anti-aging products. Retinol is actually the
name for the whole vitamin A molecule, but when used in cosmetics, it is artificially synthesized. It’s known for having two appealing effects:
It’s an antioxidant, and it communicates with cells to get them to act younger and healthier. The good news is you can get these same powerful,
age-reversing effects without putting an artificially synthesized chemical on your skin. Frankincense
(https://rstyle.me/+SgPovDmvqoC17UAHXxhYiA), revered in ancient times in places like Egypt and India, is the natural replacement for
retinol. Frankincense rapidly increases cellular turnover, which means it quickly causes the skin to produce healthier cells to replace aging cells.
This effect speedily minimizes the signs of wrinkles and scars. An additional benefit of frankincense? It’s incredibly soothing – it can
disinfect the skin and act as an antiseptic.

LEMON ESSENTIAL O IL FOR SAL IC Y L IC AC ID

Salicylic acid, a top ingredient in many exfoliating acne scrubs, is a potent but unfortunately fairly drying ingredient. Available over the counter,
it’s also commonly prescribed mainly for its redness-reducing and pore-clearing properties. For those of you who suffer from acne or oily skin,
never fear! There’s a natural solution that’s equally as powerful and – major plus -doesn’t dry out your skin: lemon essential oil
(https://rstyle.me/+kkbk0bwyzcDBEeQ59R5Smw). Not to be confused with using the fruit and its juices in your kitchen, this oil is high in
vitamin C and works to combat acne and hyperpigmentation. But like many potent essential oils, lemon Join essentialThe Chalkboard
oil is not lightweight,
so it should always be diluted before being applied to skin! Newsletter
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Benzoyl peroxide, another popular acne treatment, is an ingredient with some very strong and potentially damaging effects. This ingredient is
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often prescribed to treat blemishes because it causes afflicted areas of your skin to dry and peel, essentially hyper-exfoliating your skin.
Thankfully, less damaging natural alternatives are out there: Clove (https://rstyle.me/+06wFW2XH9MKrDznYxdWvEQ) and tea tree
essential oils (https://rstyle.me/+yKEJBQRUtpNPkSrOEYiXAg)have the pore-clearing power to add theyour
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amount of natural
address
oomph to your acne routine. Clove essential oil is especially effective at managing skin sores because it can also rapidly promote cellular
turnover. Tea tree essential oil is best known for its soothing and disinfecting properties – qualities essential to treating acne and inflammation.
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GRAPEFRUIT AND Y O GURT FO R AL PH A H Y D RO XY ACID

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9/28/2019 7 Natural Beauty Ingredients that Actually Work - The Chalkboard
Alpha hydroxy acid, or AHA, is another go-to ingredient in many beauty and skincare products, especially anti-aging skincare. It works to
remove sun damaged cells from the skin and has other properties, all of which can improve the youthfulness of skin. Unfortunately, AHA often
comes at the price of causing irritation to sensitive skin. The natural substitute here? Grapefruit and yogurt. (No they’re not just for breakfast!)
Grapefruit is known for being revitalizing and circulation boosting. Yogurt contains lactic acid, which is a natural form of AHA.
There’s no need to turn to synthetic AHAs when these natural (and delicious) alternatives are sitting in your fridge.

NEROLI, O RANGE + C H AMO MIL E O IL S FO R H Y D RO Q UINO NE

Hydroquinone may be one of the more controversial ingredients in the beauty world. Known for its skin-lightening properties, hydroquinone
is an attractive choice for many women looking to correct dark spots, especially those that come with age. But if your skin goal is overall
evenness, there are three possibilities that don’t involve harsh chemicals: neroli oil
(https://rstyle.me/+NUCHJy3lFpmXYptOfaRKkw), orange oil (https://rstyle.me/+lKFnwavO1NoRJTLMh6PTDw) and
chamomile (https://rstyle.me/+kONg8k-XS4ZebtkZ4MomTQ). Neroli oil is derived from orange tree blossoms, and the vitamin-C rich
oil improves the elasticity of aging skin and boosts overall luminosity. From the same tree comes orange oil, which contains the same vitamins
and nutrients the delicious fruit does. It rapidly repairs damaged skin and acts as a natural antiseptic, leading to overall flawlessness in the skin.
In case you need extra convincing to switch hydroquinone out for good, chamomile is another natural counterpart. Chamomile essential oil
contains naturally occurring skin compound azulene, which calms a wide variety of skin conditions that cause unevenness in the complexion.

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COMMENT (26) ( H T T P S : / / T H E C H A L K B O A R D M A G . C O M / 7 - N AT U R A L - B E A U T Y- I N G R E D I E N T S - T H AT- A C T U A L LY-
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Natural

Beauty

LEAVE A COMMENT Ingredients

that

I’m an esthetician and love the idea of an all natural skin care routine. I’ve tried a lot of natural recipes and ingredients including egg whites
Actually
for tightening the face, camelia oil for anti-aging, castor oil for growing eyelashes, and coconut oil as a moisturizer. The only one Work
I was
impressed with was coconut oil, but only for the body, as it makes some people break out when used on the face… so all that was
disappointing for the most part! on
I tend to stick to drugstore products now especially retinol and vitamin c serums because they are ingredients that I know work for me and
thechalkboardmag.co
I don’t like wasting money on natural things if they don’t work. Some of these suggestions I haven’t heard of before though so it’s intrigued
me! If only I had money to try all of them lol natural-

TINY ECO SPA (HTTP://TINYECOSPA.COM) | 03.25.2016 | REPLY beauty-

ingredients-

that-
Very informative article.Good to know all of these natural alternatives to synthetic and chemically loaded ingredients. I will include these
tips in my organic skincare line. These essential oils will complement my powerful Moroccan oils: Argan oil and Prickly Pear Seedactually-
Oil.

KHADIJA FAJRY (HTTP://WWW.KENZA-INTERNATIONAL-BEAUTY-NYC.COM/) | 03.25.2016 | REPLY Join The Chalkboard

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Beautiful line and beautiful blends and I truly love the presentation. I have a question and I hope you will be able to respond. Can you
please explain the content of vitamins in essential oils. Maybe I have missed something in the classroom but A weekly dose of wellness
to my knowledge straight
there are no to
vitamins in essential oils. Thank you, Magdalena your inbox. Sign up now.

MAGDALENA TOMCZAK | 03.26.2016 | REPLY Enter your first name

When it comes to anti-aging skin care regimen – me an all organic buff with food and everything else – believe in hands down synthetic
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retinol and prescription strength retinoids.. I have tried a lot of natural alternatives for retinol – including wasting $350 on True Natural
Botanicals serums etc…. Their stuff is simply a waste… If you do not want wrinkles eat right, lot of green juice
and use prescription strength retinols or if you can handle retinoids…

RACHEL | 03.27.2016 | REPLY Subscribe

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9/28/2019 7 Natural Beauty Ingredients that Actually Work - The Chalkboard

Hi Magdalena, this is a great question, and one that is asked often. The general rule is that oils extracted through distillation typically don’t
contain significant quantities of vitamins (especially those that are over a certain molecular size). Oils extracted through other mechanisms
– such as expression, as many citrus oils are – can carry vitamins with smaller molecular sizes (such as vitamins A and C). Pomegranate oil
– though not a citrus – is a great example of an oil with vitamins A,D,E and K (that are great for skin). Hope this helps!

UMA OILS (HTTP://WWW.UMAOILS.COM) | 03.28.2016 | REPLY

Unfortunately your information is categorically incorrect. There are NO vitamins in essential oils. Have you read a GC analysis
if lemon essential oil? Not a trace of vitamins. And yes, I am talking about cold pressed essential oils. No vitamins, no minerals,
no nutrients of any kind. My lemon oil is 94% D-Limonene, and 0% vitamin anything.

DANIELLE WINKELSPECHT | 02.03.2018 | REPLY

Respectfully, whatever sources were used for information in this article are grossly incorrect. It is absurd to advise readers to use lemon
EO on their face. It does not contain any vitamins and is highly phototoxic, even when properly diluted. Nor would I ever advise anyone to
use clove EO anywhere on their skin, as it is likely to cause a chemical burn. These types of recommendations are what cause people to
injure themselves by using aromatherapy.

KATH KOEPPEN, RA (HTTP://AROMACEUTICALS.COM) | 03.28.2016 | REPLY

Practically all essential oils need to be diluted – but I don’t think that’s the point of the article (it’s comparing synthetic actives to natural
actives; synthetic actives definitely need dilution). Both lemon essential oil and clove essential oil are used extensively in Chinese and
Indian medicine from dentistry to skincare – and are rather effective, from personal experience. As with any ingredient – be it a retinol or
a natural alternative – that’s effective – care needs to be taken to understand how to use, what to mix with etc. but I love that this article
educates customers on what’s out there in terms of their natural options.

SAMMY | 03.28.2016 | REPLY

Great to see such a thoughtful discussion on what arguably is a nuanced and fascinating topic! It would be worth clarifying – as Sammy
notes – that the intent of this article was primarily to provide an educational blueprint for identifying solid, time-tested ingredients to
make the switch to natural products. Many of the ingredients listed are powerful as they are efficacious, and therefore require both
expertise and care in formulating within skincare (just like in a retinol-based cream, active retinol’s percentage is 0.5% or less). We hope
that this provides an early understanding for research and consideration when choosing your natural skincare options out there!

SHRANKHLA HOLECEK (HTTPS://WWW.UMAOILS.COM) | 03.28.2016 | REPLY

Ms.Koeppen, your attempts to sound like an expert are not just undermined by the thinly veiled plug to your site (which seems like the
pyramid scheme essential oil business that all of us try to run from) – but also by your fear-mongering hyperboles about clove oil. My
daughter – who struggled with recurring cystic acne for three years – found great relief with Uma’s Deeply Clarifying formulation – which
has, lo and behold, clove oil! She has no chemical burns or any damage to speak of – but far healthier skin since she started using the
formulation. I wish you’d exercise some judgment (and research based common sense) when sharing these proclamations. Last, this article
is not about aromatherapy, which you should know as the site you’re plugging seems to be about that subject matter.

S PRINCE | 03.29.2016 | REPLY

The link you provided for ‘rose’ oil is actually for rose geranium. Join The Chalkboard
JAN | 04.12.2016 | REPLY Newsletter
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I would love to know the sources of your information! I am currently getting my aromatherapy certificate and love your blog and the
information provided. But I am the type of person that needs to see legitimate sources before accepting the information as true. I would
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love to hear back from you regarding your sources and would greatly appreciate it!

BRIELLE CURTIS | 05.18.2017 | REPLY

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Hello Uma,
You mention ‘rose; oil in your article. Is this the same as, or equivalent to, rosehips? If not, what is the difference, in composition &/or in
application? Subscribe
Thanks

GREG | 07.02.2017 | REPLY

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