Aging is a natural, beautiful process if we’re healthy. Embracing a ‘healthy aging’ attitude and becoming the best version of ourselves, with all the wisdom we’ve acquired over the years should be one of the greatest joys of our lives. Keeping our minds and bodies active and healthy, combined with proper nutrition, hydration, and good sleeping habits, we can navigate ourselves through this exciting time.
A guest post by Melanie Houston.
Melanie is a graduate of the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (2011) and worked as a Holistic Nutritionist for five years, focusing on boosting immunity & weightloss. She has been a Safer Beauty Advocate with Beautycounter for the past 4 years. Melanie enjoys cooking & baking, yoga, gardening, summer temperatures & playing with her dog. She lives with her husband & two teenage children on an acreage near Cochrane, Alberta.
Healthy looking skin is also a component in healthy aging. Feeling beautiful is important – our skin creates a first impression, it represents us and affects our self-confidence.
You absorb what goes on your skin
Our skin is our largest organ and what we put on it matters. We absorb skin creams and lotions, so the products we use need to be made with safe ingredients. Currently, on store shelves, there are unregulated chemicals of concern in products being sold. Some ingredients being used are linked to cancer, organ system toxicity, hormonal imbalances and a lower immune system. The products we use every day should not contain harmful or questionable ingredients. Lowering our toxic load is so important. Yes, we have organs like our liver and kidneys to take care of toxins, and they do a fantastic job! However, our organs can become overwhelmed, especially as we age. Not only do we accumulate toxins in our system when we use products that contain harmful or questionable ingredients, but from pollution in the air we breathe and eating processed foods.
Products with retinol might not be the best option
Retinol (retinyl palmitate/Vitamin A) is commonly found in anti-aging skincare products and in sunscreen. It’s marketed as a positive in nearly every anti-aging skincare line. Retinol has a reputation for producing fantastic skin benefits and being very effective, but it comes at a cost to our health. Retinol is linked with developmental & reproductive toxicity and speeding the development of skin tumors when used topically. It can also cause redness and irritation, flaking, peeling and inflammation. Alternatively, in trying to look more youthful, people have turned to solutions like Botox, which can be painful, contribute to muscle weakness/stiffness, headaches, and needs to be repeated every 3 – 4 months.
What is an alternative to retinol?
So what if retinol didn’t have any of the toxic baggage of being potentially carcinogenic, a skin irritation & linked to reproductive toxicity? What if something like retinol, had all the ‘healthy aging’ benefits for mature skin but none of the health concerns?? Well, that would be like having your cake and eating it too!
For healthy aging benefits and products that are significantly safer, look for ingredients like:
Bakuchiol (Ba-koo-CHEE-al)
Bakuchiol is a compound that naturally occurs in the seeds and leaves of the plant psoralea corylifolia, found in India. It’s been used in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic skincare remedies for centuries. Clinical testing shows it delivers the results and benefits of vitamin A, but without the health concerns. Bakuchiol stimulates the production of collagen thereby preserving the strength and integrity of the skin, reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
Swiss Alpine Rose (Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract)
This beautiful pink flower grows at the highest altitudes in the Swiss Alps, it has a remarkable ability to protect itself against dehydration and other environmental stressors.
About Beautycounter
At Beautycounter, we use Bakuchiol and Swiss Alpine Rose in our innovative healthy aging line of ‘Countertime’.
Bakuchiol has been shown to provide skin care results that are comparable to retinol—without harmful side effects such as skin irritation and increased sun sensitivity—and Swiss Alpine Rose boosts the skin’s antioxidant defense. With these two powerhouse ingredients, Beautycounter has formulated ‘Retinatural Complex’, clinically proven to visibly plump, firm, and brighten skin. Some call it anti-aging, we call it ‘getting better with age’. Beautycounter has ‘The Never List’ – a list of 1800 ingredients we’ll never use due to the questionable or harmful effects of them. We’ve never used retinol in any of our products.
Beautycounter is an education-first company, we advocate for more health protective laws in North America and we provide a solution through our innovative products. We screen rigorously, learn constantly, source responsibly and share our findings transparently.
Beautycounter is a Certified B Corporation, B stands for Benefit, and it means that, unlike the traditional corporate structure, we consider people, the planet, and profit equally.
We’re certified through the Leaping Bunny Program, the gold standard for cruelty-free certification and household for cosmetics and personal care products. The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit, organization, conducting research and providing education, they are dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. To date, over one third of our products have been EWG VERIFIED™ (this means it meets the strictest standards for your health) Our entire healthy aging line, ‘Countertime’ is EWG verifed.
Beautycounter is also a member of the Safe Cosmetics Business Network, which is facilitated by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
Creating habits that allow us to be comfortable in our own skin, such as doing exercise, eating healthy food, maintaining strong relationships/connections and using safer skin care are all a part of the healthy aging process.
For the month of July, Beautycounter is offering ‘20% off a first order’ for any new client or new enrolling member.
‘Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.’
Anonymous
You can reach Melanie at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/173016366815943
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniehouston.beautycounter/
In Canada:
www.beautycounter.com/en-ca/melaniehouston
In USA:
www.beautycounter.com/melaniehouston
References:
http://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/retinol-and-retinol-compounds/
https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredients/706889-retinol_(vitamin_a)/
https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-problem-with-vitamin-a/#.WyFYItMvzUI
https://lindsaydahl.com/sunscreen-doesnt-cause-skin-cancer/
https://www.beautycounter.com/en-ca/the-never-list
