Efficacy is a great buzz word in the skin care world.  Of course, what is the reason women buy skin care products?  To get results!  The very first thing we want in a skin care product is effectiveness…we want something that works.  If we have acne, we want those pimples to go away, if we have wrinkles, we want them to be less pronounced.  If our skin is sagging a bit, we want it to look firmer.  I think that is all very natural.

Essentially, we want to look better, we want to look good.  Why? Because we want to feel better about ourselves.  Again,  that seems to me to be the most natural thing in the world.

We have taken for granted that efficacy is King.  Health, well being, and long term results were not a big part of the equation.  However, now we must factor these considerations.   Let me share with you a story to make this point.

Years ago, I went over to a dear friend’s Mom’s house.  I saw a department store brand of toner.  I read the ingredients, which were: Water, acetone, fragrance, and SD alcohol.  Not being able to contain myself appropriately, I yelped, “Yikes!”

She asked me why my face was contorted.  I said, “how much did you pay for this?”  She stated $35.  and that she really liked the results, it made her face feel squeaky clean.  I said, “Well, if you really like it and really want to continue to use this…..you could save about $34.50 if you just put water in quart jar, added a capful of fingernail polish remover,  and add a bit of SD alcohol, which is about $1.29 a quart and toxic, and put some of your favorite synthetic perfume in for scent.”

I  continued, that of course ,her face felt squeaky clean from the acetone  which is a solvent and poisonous  industrial cleaner which is used as a paint remover and in fingernail polish remover.

My point to this story is, of course, it was effective in removing your make-up, it removes  paint from industrial forklifts!  Of course, it made your face feel squeaky clean, it is designed to remove 30 years of caked grease from Cummins diesel engines!  So, is the question really efficacy?  Or is the point, what is that toxic toner doing to your skin, not to mention your overall health, over the next 10 years, or worse, the last 10 years?

I never got to find out for sure, she died of ovarian cancer a year or two later and is terribly missed.

Efficacy is important, but toxic synthetic chemicals of industrial strength do not improve our skin, even if they temporarily make us think they do.  Everything we need is all around us, grown on all the local USDA certified organic farms, or in your garden.  Let your food be your medicine and let your skin care come from the garden.  Lily