Natural vs High Tech Skincare: Which is better?

On one side we see recommendations from passionate wellbeing enthusiasts that “natural is best” and that chemicals are bad (news flash: everything is made of chemicals!), and on the flip side we hear the skin gurus who tell us that natural skincare isn’t very effective, essential oils can cause inflammation, and natural ingredients don’t keep well.

It’s a confusing path to navigate, so we’re here to break it down for you so you can make an informed decision for your own skin. First up, we need to look at what these terms actually mean.

What is natural skincare?

“Natural” skincare has had its big moment over the past few years, and most commonly refers to products made up entirely or mostly of plant-based ingredients.

However, you may also have heard of “greenwashing”, a term for when products claim to be natural, organic or eco-friendly, when in fact this is an illusion created by product names and descriptions (including mentions of a few natural ingredients that only make up a small percentage of the product), the brand name and logo or packaging designs and colours. Since the beauty industry is so unregulated, the “natural” category is pretty much the wild west, where companies can mask their products as something quite different to what’s really in them.

If you do manage to find legitimately natural skincare, remember that natural isn’t always beneficial, or even safe for our skin. Some common natural ingredients such as alcohol and certain fruit oils, exfoliating walnut or fruit husks, essential oils and plant extracts can actually irritate our skin, be harsh or abrasive or even trigger allergic reactions.

Of course, there are many natural ingredients that are fantastic for our skin, a few of our favourites being antioxidants, cocoa and shea butters, aloe vera and certain botanical oils. With natural ingredients, we also have the issue that natural is as natural does, and some natural ingredients aren’t made to be kept in a bottle in a cupboard for a few months, and can break down and oxidize easily.

Think about what would happen to a cup of fresh juice sitting your bench for 3 months! But this is what brings us to our next term…

What is high tech skincare?

We use the term “High Tech” skincare to refer to products made up of “active ingredients” (which have been proven to address skin concerns) that are most commonly laboratory and scientifically derived. These products have been making waves more recently in the beauty industry due to their ability to achieve more dramatic results when it comes to skin improvement.

An irrational fear around the chemicals used in our products has led many to be suspicious of synthetically made ingredients, especially when some ingredients have such long, complicated names. However, natural ingredients also have scientific names that could look scary if you don’t know what they are!

One way we like to look at it is that high tech skincare ingredients are made of what nature can create, for example Vitamin A (retinol), Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Hyaluronic Acid (a substance produced naturally by our bodies) or Vitamin B3 (niacinamide), but in superior forms that are more bioavailable for skin improvement.

Advancements in science and technology means we now have ingredients with enhanced efficacy, meaning dramatic results for boosting hydration or reducing wrinkles, acne or pigmentation in the skin. These ingredients can also be created with reliability and consistency (unlike natural ones), meaning you won’t get a bad batch.

Of course, as with natural, not all high-tech or synthetic skincare is going to benefit your skin. Many brands will take buzzword anti-ageing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid or peptides, stating their serums contain them, but in reality, only use a hint of this active that won’t achieve much, or in a molecular form that will just sit on top of the skin.

You also need to be wary of products that do contain the bad chemical ingredients, usually because they’re cheap, preserve the product, make the product smell nice or make it feel nice upon immediate application. This includes things like fragrances, parabens, silicones, harsh sulfates or petrochemicals, all of which can irritate and upset our skin barrier.

Which option is really better?

It’s for you to decide what’s right for your skin, but remember there’s no black and white answer, and you can sit anywhere on the scale! Here at Harmony, we know what works for best results, and we also know that quality, safe ingredients are the priority.

We also know that some people prefer a dreamy experience with their skin improvement over strong ingredients that the most drive change possible. This is why we stock a range of brands offering the best of both worlds, at two ends of the spectrum of clean, active skincare - all full of good stuff and none of the bad!

Our more gentle collections, Ginger&ME Neuro, Pure Fiji and Suntegrity, are comprised of nurturing, natural and botanical ingredients with luxurious natural scents, as well as clean actives to boost your skin and achieve those results.

If high performance and potent ingredients is what you’re after, O Cosmedics and Dp Dermaceuticals are the pinnacle of advanced skincare. That’s not to say they don’t contain some natural ingredients (they do!), but results are what have driven the development of each ingredient in every product, with pure, medical-strength actives to get you the skin you’re dreaming of.