At the recent unveiling of an all-new range of natural beauty products, a journo asked the company spokesperson why sun block was not a part of their offering? The spokesperson replied, “Because no sun block can be made sans chemicals and ours is a purely nature-based range.” This raised quite a few eyebrows, and concerns too. What with the ‘natural’ sun blocks commonly used? We have been programmed to believe that any product promising aloe vera or body butter contains no chemicals. Take a closer look at the ingredients and you tend to overlook the jargon, and see the bold type that spells natural stuff.

But what’s the fine print? When it comes to the natural stuff, even beauty experts ask - how much of natural is natural? “Anything that has a shelf value would contain preservatives no matter how much they deny using it,” says Delhi- based make-up expert Vidya Tikari. Then how does one know? Skin expert Smriti Gupta explains, “Natural skin products mean something created as close to nature as it can be. But even your skin has a pertinent role to play. Something as pure as milk or water taken out of your refrigerator can generate rashes. And what these companies’ package are processed at the end of the day. People have little clue about the milk or water they’re using. Is the milk made out of powder or is the water hard? Anything can be a nuisance, even pure organic things.”

Gina Walker, spokesperson, Lush Cosmetics says, “Using whole fruit or vegetable is infinitely more beneficial than isolating a property and removing it from a fruit, vegetable or natural material. But there are always few products where one cannot avoid preservatives.”

“In reality, it would be difficult to manufacture all-natural cosmetic products with consistently high quality and a long shelf life without the use of some synthetics. One way to shun fake products is to go for bigger names as they will ensure best quality,” says Estella Lau, regional sales & product director, The Body Shop (International) Asia Pacific. The key to understand is that as long as a natural cosmetic suits your skin, it is good.

While telling everyone that natural is the way to go, can we leave aside the cost involved? Regular soaps come at a reasonable price, but natural products collectively burn a hole in your pocket.

Get the pick of nature's bounty...

How do you ensure you get it right everytime? Don’t get confused by all the options. Skin expert Smriti Gupta suggests:

Three rules to follow

• Know your skin type (normal, dry, oily, combination (T-zone), very oily, acne-prone)
• Know your sensitivity levels (normal, sensitive, ultra-sensitive)
• Test on sensitivity pulse points before you buy (behind the ears and inner wrist)

Choose products as per your skin type