The truth about home made skincare
Without a doubt, taking care of my skin has become an essential routine for me, specially in the last few years. The whole process has moved from an afterthought to an essential part of my self care routine.
When I was a young girl, in the modeling industry, skincare was a must but as I grew older and life became busier, I let it slip off my radar. It happens, life happens, we get busy and usually the things that get left behind are the routines and habits we establish to look after ourselves.
If you do a quick search on social media for “self-care” you will likely find one or two posts of people sharing their skincare routine. In the last few years, skincare tutorials, educational reels and reaction videos have grown immensely in popularity, earning some creators millions of views and thousands of followers.
The virality of these topics has also seen the rise of the “home made” skincare segment. Coupled with the increasing cost of living, consumers are now hungrier than ever to save pennies wherever they can. But, is a home made moisturiser the best way to keep some coins in the tin?
After losing my job during the pandemic, I decided to turn my interest in skincare into a learning opportunity. I studied and earnt a certificate in Natural Skincare Formulating and coupled it with the legal elements and requirements to formulate, sell and package skincare in Australia.
Boy did I learn a lot! Very quickly, I realised that chemistry would become my new best friend - even if at first, I didn’t quite understand it. You see, skincare formulating requires the right balance and mix of ingredients to formulate an end product, with topical benefits, that is safe for the skin and meets the Australian standard for skincare products - phew, that was a mouthful!
What about home made skincare?
I remember the first batch of skincare I made at home, prior to me learning how to formulate. It was a coffee body scrub which I made in a big batch and boy was it heavenly - it smelled divine and left my skin smooth and bright. I took it in the shower with me and after about 8 days, a clear layer of mould had started to grow. Clearly, bacteria had started to grow after the ingredients got wet. Something I hadn’t given any thought to when I took my jar of home made scrub into the shower so I wouldn’t forget to use it.
You may think that’s obvious, but the truth is that warning signs and how to instructions on labels exist because not everyone will think of the “obvious”
It’s all about balance
It’s easy to think that you can read a formulation online, grab ingredients you may have at home and quickly create a product you otherwise would have paid a lot of dollars for at the store. But that store bought product, had to be carefully crafted, tested, and regulated - even the label would have been scrutinised before it was given the green light to go on a retail shelf.
There are countless Home made skincare “recipes” online, some are crafted by very well known bloggers, and even field specialists like herbologists and naturopaths. The one thing most of them get wrong though are the safety aspects involved with a well formulated, functional product - and of course the ratio of ingredients!
Lack of a balanced formulation
I mean it when I say, skincare and chemistry go hand in hand!
A homemade recipe that asks you to add a teaspoon of one product, a cup of another, and 15 drops of your favourite essential oil, is not a well-crafted one! Ingredients should be balanced to work harmoniously with each other.
Some ingredients don’t mix, others are regulated so a formulation cannot exceed a certain amount - depending on which part of the body the end product is intended for. Home made skincare enthusiasts mean well but care needs to be taken when sharing their recipes online.
The ratio of ingredients is crucial. Think of it like a recipe to make a cake. The recipe will ask for specific amounts of different ingredients so in the end you have an edible, tasty treat. Skincare is the same, each ingredient plays a part and the balance and ratio is important to create a functional end product.
2. Allergies and Safety
Many homemade recipes include ingredients you may already have at home, like honey or lemon juice, or, you may need to purchase items like essential oils to scent your end product. The danger lies in products made at home not being tested which can cause allergic reactions. Store-bought products can also, but they contain warning labels and the ingredient list so the shopper can make an informed decision when they purchase it. Further, store-bought products have been rigorously tested for bacteria and other nasties, invisible to the eye and only once passed can they be made available to retail.
While someone may create a product that works well for them, gifting it to others is not a great idea as the end product has not been tested for safety and it’s more likely to cause allergic reactions due to the unbalanced formulation.
3. What about Clean Beauty?
The clean beauty movement paved the way for more conscious ways to self care. Natural skincare products were on the rise - and so was green washing! In Australia, the ACCC - the national competition, consumer, fair trading and product safety regulator cracked down on hundreds of companies who claimed to be “clean” and “sustainable” and further regulated the segment to eliminate green washing and ensure transparency for consumers.
Clean Beauty had a huge rise and peaked gloriously. Home made skincare was incredibly popular as it promised, unique, clean products without “chemicals”.
The truth is, if you own skincare, make up, hair care products and even soap…it is likely to contain a chemical, heck, water itself is a chemical and the above products mentioned contain water.
Preservatives are crucial for manufacturing products, safe for consumers to use, as well as for extending the shelf life of the product itself. Yet, they seem to cop a bad rap and were largely demonised in the home made skincare world. While thee is nothing wrong with wanting a safe topical product that is gentle on the skin, care needs to be taken to ensure consumers are aware of accurate information which ultimately, protects their health and well-being.
Ok so by now you are probably thinking I am not a fan of the home made skincare trend. As someone who studied to formulate skincare, I have to admit, it is a practice that intrigues me but not one that I would encourage.
If you are interested and want to know more. You can always learn how to make safe products for yourself. It is an investment to become a skincare formulator and a further investment to manufacture, package and sell your own products but I think it is an investment worth taking if you are serious about creating your own products.
The home made skincare movement is still quite big, particularly in countries like the US and it is not going anywhere any time soon.
Of course it’s up to you how you self care but my advice would be to look for products that have been formulated, include ingredients with real benefits, read reviews and ask lots of questions! At the end of the day, your health and wellbeing are most important and your daily skincare routine should compliment them and add real value to your everyday.
Thanks for reading!
Monica
xx