At Four Cow Farm, we believe in keeping skincare simple and choosing ingredients wisely. We carefully select every ingredient that goes into our products, from the water we use (all collected at the farm and filtered and processed right here) to the oils we use (all extra virgin cold-pressed and of the highest food grade quality) to the preservatives we use (always food grade, always in the lowest possible amounts).
We believe that natural isn’t always safe, and more isn’t always better - especially when it’s in a product you use daily.
Here are a few natural ingredients to watch out for:
- Citrus, mint, eucalyptus and lemongrass essential oils. Even tiny amounts of mint and eucalyptus essential oils can cause breathing problems in children, whilst citrus and lemongrass oils can increase skin sensitivity to UV radiation and create long-term allergic reactions in the skin.
- AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) and BHAs (beta hydroxy acids). Both types of acids are marketed in a wide range of products aimed at women looking to banish wrinkles, fine lines or uneven skin tone. They are designed to break down skin cells to trigger the creation of new cells, but their presence in so many skincare products has meant that many users are over-exposed to them causing dryness, irritation and breakouts.
- Vitamin C is another ingredient widely touted as an anti-aging ingredient in skincare. But just like any highly acidic ingredient, using it too often or in too high concentrations will trigger sensitivity, especially in skin that’s already dry and sensitive.
- Hyaluronic acid is an ingredient that’s naturally produced by your body to retain water in your tissues. However, its ability to draw moisture from its surroundings means that if not used carefully or if a lower-weight version of it is used (increasing its ability to cross the skin barrier), it begins drawing moisture from the skin, exacerbating skin sensitivity and causing skin redness and acne.
Long lists of natural extracts are our favourite bugbear! Since natural is good, a longer list of natural is better, isn’t it? Just like any organ, in order to function well, the skin needs to be taken care of. The worst thing we can do to skin - whether young, old or somewhere in between - is to overwhelm it with extracts and ingredients, even natural ones. The result is almost always skin that’s damaged, fragile and needing repair.
Our philosophy when it comes to skincare is simple - keep it simple, choose it wisely. Your skin is going to be with you for a long time, so be kind to it, feed it, nourish it, and most importantly, protect it.
