Here’s why using organic skin care matters, according to a licensed esthetician

You have your Dirty Dozen list saved for easy access mid-grocery store trip (because you can never remember if it’s spinach or cabbage that’s better to buy organic), but when it comes to skin care, things aren’t so clear-cut.

Despite the absence of a similarly streamlined infographic for organic skin care ingredients, there is a simple premise to keep in mind next time you’re about to toss a new beauty product into your cart next to your organic apples.

“It’s the same idea as buying organic ingredients that we ingest orally,” says Christine Walsh, lead esthetician and makeup artist at Dermstore. “If we aren’t willing to consume the toxins, then there’s no need to apply them topically with all the effective resources we have in skin care and beauty.” 

To get to the bottom of how important using organic skin care really is, we joined forces with Dermstore, the online destination for holy-grail skin boosters since 1999, and tapped a glow pro to lay out all the benefits. Here goes.

Scroll down for 3 benefits of using organic skin care for your head-to-toe routine.

1. You’ll lessen your overall chemical load

“Although there is controversy about whether or not the penetration of products can travel all the way into the bloodstream, our skin, the largest organ on our body, is still absorbing anything that we apply topically,” Walsh explains. In fact, it’s been established that 60 percent or more of topicals are absorbed by the skin, according to Walsh, so you want to make sure you’re only letting the good stuff in.

Therefore, the same rule applies to selecting skin care ingredients as when you’re weighing whether to spring for organic avocados this week. “Since organic products are made up of all-natural, organic ingredients, the list would be nearly the same as the famous Clean 15,” Walsh says. The more you know.

If you’re not ready for a total organic overhaul of your skin-care routine, Walsh suggests first swapping out products that you put on areas of your face where the skin is thinner—such as your eyes, mouth, and forehead—because those areas often absorb products more quickly. Just think about how often you lick your lips throughout the day (likely answer: every few minutes).

2. Organic products are just as effective

Natural products have historically had a bad reputation for not working as well as their drugstore counterparts—but no more. “These days, organic products can provide desired results with the advanced technology we have to produce high quality effective skin care,” Walsh says. Basically, you can have your (organic) cake, and eat it, too.

Take Eminence Organic Skin Care, for example. The sustainable beauty company has been working since 1958 to incorporate organic skin-care breakthroughs into its products—like deriving salicylic acid from organic strawberries and hyaluronic acid from organic marshmallow root to create the do-it-all Strawberry Rhubarb Hyaluronic Serum that exfoliates, hydrates, repairs and brightens. How’s that for a list of benefits?

3. Organic farming is better for the environment

As if scoring mirror-don’t-lie benefits for your skin wasn’t enough of a reason to make the switch to organic skin care, you’re also doing the planet a major solid. “Organic is better for the environment, and companies often use recycled goods for their packaging—a win for preserving our mother earth,” Walsh says.

And when shopping on Dermstore for brands like Eminence Organics, you can count on your purchase coming with other perks that apply to more than just your complexion.

“Eminence Organics not only provides result-driven skin care that smells and feels luxurious on the skin, they believe in well-being that goes beyond our skin,” Walsh says. The Eminence Kids Foundation donates organic fruits and vegetables to sick children around the world, and Eminence Organics plants a tree for every skin care product sold—which works out to more than 11 million trees to date. That’s a win-win scenario.

Your natural skin-care toolkit

Eminence Organic Skin Care Facial Recovery Oil $76

Eminence Organic Skin Care Rosehip Triple C+E Firming Oil $110

Eminence Organic Skin Care Mangosteen Daily Resurfacing Concentrate $58

Eminence Organic Skin Care Clear Skin Probiotic Moisturizer $58

Eminence Organic Skin Care Strawberry Rhubarb Masque $52

Eminence Organic Skin Care Mangosteen Daily Resurfacing Cleanser $38

In partnership with Dermstore

Top photo: Stocksy/ Jamie Grill Atlas