Six Truths Women Over 40 Should Know About Beauty Product Ingredients…

There are enough beauty myths out there lets tell each other the truth 01

It’s time you knew the truth about beauty (in case you didn’t already!) The beauty industry is filled with plumped up marketing claims and miracle cures.

At Jersey Beauty Company one of our values is to be challengers of misconception, avoiders of assumption and busters of bias.

We believe that people shapes are human shapes with knobbly bits and curvy bits, smooth bits and bumpy bits, odd bits and equal bits. So we will ignore industry hype and create a new definition of beauty where individuality is king, self esteem is queen and where being human is being ourselves. There will be no products wrapped up with lies and mythical powers. We will value difference and encourage potential and our team and our customers, every man and woman, will know that being themselves is exactly how we like them.

With that in mind, it’s time to set the record straight on a few things! Like these 6 truths that we want you to share. (Although our title says this is for women over the age of 40, it is good for everybody to know this!)

Whatever your age, whatever your skin type, our Ultimate Guide to Skin Care has got it covered.

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TRUTH 1:

'Natural' ingredients don’t always mean better.

When it comes to beauty product labelling and ingredients, the word ‘natural’ can be a little misleading. Not everything that is ‘natural’ is necessarily good for you. For example, arsenic is found in nature, but you wouldn’t want that on your skin! Neat, natural ingredients like lavender or essential oils can irritate the skin and cause reaction.

If botanicals and natural extracts are used in a beauty product, you should expect to find preservatives marked on the ingredient list too. Preservatives aren’t as bad as the press would have readers believe. In fact, a portion of blueberries contains at least 10 times the amount of parabens typically found in skin cream! Bottom line, don’t jump to conclusions about beauty product ingredients.

TRUTH 2

You don’t have to be photoshopped to be beautiful!

A technique often used by the beauty industry is to market beauty products using heavily edited and enhanced photos of models. The aim is to give consumers the hope that they could look like that if they used a particular product. What’s important to understand is that no amount of beauty product in a jar or bottle will create the effect that a software programme can on a computer; it’s not real.

Using products that are specifically targeted to your skin will simply encourage skin health and a natural glow. Time and time again we're bombarded with unrealistic images of what it is to be female, what it is to be a woman. Nobody looks like a photoshopped image in real life, even the models in those photographs!

TRUTH 3:

A cleanser doesn’t have to foam in order to cleanse thoroughly

Many people believe that when you use a cleanser, the more it foams, the better it cleanses. What’s important to understand is that it’s not the foam that cleans your skin in a cleanser. The foaming agent is simply an additive, often a harsh chemical which can cause problems for your skin. A commonly used foaming agent, Sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES), is found in shampoo, toothpaste and washing up liquids, as well as facial cleansers. Bottom line, it doesn’t have to foam to clean your skin effectively.

TRUTH 4:

You don’t have to look younger to be beautiful!

Somewhere along the line, parts of the beauty industry, the media and public perception have formed the opinion that women should look younger than their age in order to be beautiful. The reality of life is that you are a day older than you were yesterday. You are ageing and nobody can escape it. The fact is, if you are not ageing, you are no longer alive.

We believe very strongly that there is no shame in ageing and that it should be celebrated! As already stated in the introduction, as part of our company values we want to “create a new definition of beauty where individuality is king, self esteem is queen and where being human is being ourselves.” Beauty is true self acceptance. As you get older your hair might go grey and you will have more wrinkles. It’s true that using good quality beauty products for your skin type and condition will enhance its appearance by making it look brighter and hydrated. But you cannot inject, spray, rub or smear beauty onto yourself! Whatever your age, it's simply about having a healthy complexion.

TRUTH 5:

You don’t have to stick with the same beauty products or the same brand forever.

Just like seasons change during the year, your skin will change. And at various stages of your life, your skin will be different based on your age and other factors such as the weather, stress and hormones. You will not always have the same skin type. Some months in the year, your may find that your skin feels drier than others.

If you feel your skin has changed, or a certain beauty product doesn’t seem to be ‘working’ anymore, it’s a good idea to see a beauty therapist to identify what your skin needs in order to have optimal skin health. For example, there are some products that are beneficial to a stressed skin.

Because your skin can change, beauty therapists recommend that you don’t always stick to the same products year in, year out. In fact, it’s better for your skin’s health to change your beauty products. We always send customers samples to try for this important reason. Samples allow you to isolate a new product to see how your skin reacts to it.

TRUTH 6:

You don’t have to believe what the media tells you!

Beauty is, subconsciously, based on comparison. And the reality is that only a handful of people think that they are more beautiful compared to somebody else. So, whilst we may think that beauty is more than skin-deep, as already stated in Truth 2 and 4, our minds are constantly comparing our looks to how other people look and making a judgement. And 98% of the time, we judge ourselves to be inferior to the person that we are looking at in the magazine adverts (hello, 'Sexiest Woman Alive' winner!) No wonder our self esteem is at an all time low!

What does all this mean then? Well, to put it simply, the message of the beauty industry is one of shame. You look at the images and compare yourself and then you feel (at least subconsciously) ashamed of yourself because you don't measure up to the woman or girls you see on the front of a magazine. Never mind your body, you don't even have the right size clothing in your wardrobe, or the right colors or style when it comes to your dresses, shoes, pants, leggings, even your pashmina shawl, shall we go on?

Why does the beauty industry use shame? Well, it does what marketers have done for years: give you a headache and then sell you the aspirin. In other words, it leads you to a place of shame but then tells you how to not be ashamed anymore.

The last thing we wanted to do was to build another company or another brand that worked on this principle. It's not a fit with our values at all, so we decide to go against the status quo.

Now that you know these beauty truths, be sure to share them with everyone you know. There are enough beauty myths out there, so now is the right time - the perfect occasion - let’s tell each other the truth!