People are now shifting to natural emulsifiers. But why? I mean, we all have been using various kinds of emulsifiers in various skin care products, and there is nothing wrong with it.
Actually, there is certainly something wrong with it. But yes, you might not have experienced it, which is actually a good thing, but there are thousands of people who are suffering from chemical emulsifiers.
Moreover, eliminating them is a huge task, and you might not be able to do it alone. In my opinion, every skin care product has emulsifiers.
Emulsifiers actually work as a base for the product and provide binding quality. If you love beauty influencers and always scroll through their Instagram reels, you might have heard of oil-based and water-based products.
As it is very evident from the name, oil-based products use oil as the base, and water-based products use water.
People who have dry skin mostly use oil-based products to lock the moisture. On the other hand, oily skin people use water-based products to avoid acne or further damage.
So, are emulsifiers skincare ingredients? Partly. Some of them cause damage to the skin, while some are pretty beneficial. Let’s know a little bit more about emulsifiers.
Table of Contents
What are Emulsifiers?
Emulsifiers are nothing but an ingredient that gives stability to two substances that are not supposed to mix. To put it in simple words, have you seen how oil floats on water or vice versa?
Yes, in skin care products, ingredients like water and oil are used, but as it is very difficult to mix them, companies use emulsifiers so that the two can mix and the product can be ready.
It is not necessary that emulsifiers are only chemicals. There are some natural emulsifiers as well. We will talk about them a little later.
So, this is what emulsifiers are all about. There are several types of it too. Emulsifiers can be divided into three types – 1. Anionic, 2. Cationic, 3. Non-ionic.
Anionics are negative in nature and are one of the most well-known skin irritants. Yes, they do cause irritation. Do companies use it? Yes.
Cationic are positive in nature, they also cause irritation to the skin, but the intensity is much less.
The last we have on the list is non-ionic. These are the best. Because these are neutral and do not have any properties of their own. Therefore, it causes no harm to the skin.
Is it Bad for Health?
It depends on what kind of emulsifier you are using. If you are using natural emulsifiers, then you should be proud of yourself for making that choice. You should say no to the chemical ones.
Natural emulsifiers are not harmful. You can choose both the animal and plant-based options as per your choice.
Talking about the chemical ones, it actually harms your skin. You might not even notice, but when you do, it’s too late.
It happened to me. I was using my usual moisturizer, but the dryness was still there! Moreover, I felt that my skin is getting drier and drier.
It was when I visited my doctor I came to know about how these products were actually damaging my skin. I can explain everything, but that would be too scientific.
Just keep in mind that if your products stop working on your skin, the emulsifiers used in them might be causing that.
The biggest mistake we make is that we never read the ingredients while buying a product. Make it a habit. Just because the packaging looks good does not mean the product is also good.
Make sure if there is an emulsifier; it is the non-ionic one.
Natural Emulsifiers
Natural emulsifiers are everywhere; you just need to keep your eyes open. Can you remember what I have just said while describing emulsifiers?
Yes, they are a binding element. What’s the most natural thing you can think of after you hear binding? I can think of honey or beeswax.
If you are thinking the same, you are on the right path. Nature is there to provide us with every luxury we need.
Some natural emulsifiers are beeswax, Candelilla Wax, Rice Bran Wax, and Liquid Lecithin.
These are all-natural, healthy, and easily available. I know, you must be thinking that these are substitutes and they might not be as good as the chemical ones.
You are mistaken, my friend. Do you know natural emulsifiers are now more popular, and people trust them more than anything?
Yes, so this is high time that you should start using them. How? I will tell you!
How to Use Them?
Using natural emulsifiers is not that tough. But before going and picking up any, you need to know how to use natural emulsifiers.
I’m not sure whether you have seen those videos on YouTube where ladies suffering from extreme dryness get healed after they dip their cracked tows in wax.
If yes, then it would be easy to understand. So, beeswax or any kind of plant wax has skin-healing properties.
Companies that make body lotion or body butter use these. It is an emulsifier as well as a skin healer.
So, if you want to use this, you can simply buy a plain cream with no extra ingredients and mix it to create the perfect product for winter.
I have seen a lot of people making their own products too, so why don’t you try them? South Asian households are all about natural skin care products like honey.
Even if you don’t want to apply anything, just massage your face with honey, and you will see the difference.
But make sure to leave if it doesn’t suit you. Furthermore, all the names that I have mentioned above are natural, and you can use them without a second thought.
Ending Words
Some products, even if they are natural, need an expert’s guide when it comes to using them. Such a product is MCT oil. It’s very good for your health. But you need to be careful about the dosage.
Moreover, not everybody can use it. So, whether it’s MCT oil or natural emulsifiers, keep track of whether it suits you or not.
