When beauty lies in the soap

If going organic is your new mantra, it is time to learn a few tricks of the trade, says Madhu V, as she speaks to experts about organic soaps

Organic, natural, vegan, going green...do these words sound familiar? From Instagram to Facebook, Twitter to Pinterest, they are by far the most popular hashtags of the digital age. And mind you, the trend isn’t limited to food alone. Just the way the body needs to be plied with wholesome foods, our skin and hair too need to be indulged with the goodness of excellent products. This is where the concept of organic beauty products kicks in. Remember the good old turmeric and milk combination that your grandma vouched for and how you’d squirm at the idea? She sure knew what she was talking about!

Organic revolution
“The increased exposure of the average Indian to global trends, the power of the Internet coupled by our own awareness on the importance of health have all contributed to the popularity of using organic beauty products,” observes Dr Mohit Bhatia, founder of the Delhi-based handmade organic beauty label Fuschia by V-Kare. “Everyone is so conscious about the beauty products they use these days, so we decided to give them the goodness that they’d seek from their food. Hence, we went paraben and mineral-oil free, did away with SLS and phthalates, which are chief ingredients in regular soaps,” adds Mohit.Going organic is like going back to your roots, taking the best from traditional raw ingredients and imbibing their benefits.

Be beautiful
The trend of going organic isn’t surprising at all, says Sapna Venkat, founder of the city-based beauty brand Embar. “People have realised the difference between using chemical-loaded products and organic products on their body. India has a rich legacy in Ayurveda, which believes in using natural ingredients. And that is exactly what people are turning towards,” explains Sapna. Hence, all the ingredients for her products are sourced from her farm.

Natural vs chemical
Beauty products loaded with chemicals can often lead to skin allergies and can even cause irreparable damage to your skin. Priya Jain, who started home-based organic label Mishi Krafts, says, “I began by making milk soaps for my niece. The encouraging results propelled me to experiment with natural ingredients like turmeric, vanilla, orange peel, goat milk, almond milk and grape seed oil among others,” says Priya.

Speaking about ingredients to watch out for while buying organic soaps, Priya says, “If you have dry skin look for soaps that contain goat milk, vanilla, rose, sandalwood and lavender. For oily skin, soaps that contain peppermint, haldi, charcoal, tea tree and basil are ideal. Those with combination skin will find soaps with haldi and oatmeal useful, while those who suffer from acne should use products that contain charcoal, tea tree, haldi, multani mitti and peppermint.”

According to Dr Premalatha, dermatologist and cosmetologist, Hairline International Hair and Skin Clinic, organic products need not always be safe, unless they are FDA approved. So if you have a sensitive skin, using organic products may not improve the condition of the skin and could also possibly aggravate it. People with normal skin can go for organic products if it suits their needs. It is important to maintain the pH balance and molecular weight, while making organic soaps if they have to benefit the user.”