Do you find the sheer number of body care and cosmetics options available today overwhelming? Learn which ingredients are beneficial and how to make the best choices for your skin. Sarah Burns-Eggenberger is VP of Innovation and Product Development at MyChelle Dermaceuticals.

It’s important to know where the most common sources of skin problems stem from:

• Our skin contends daily with a wide range of activity and is besieged by environmental stressors such as UV exposure, pollutants, smoke and lifestyle.
• In addition to these outside influences, every single day an average woman applies a total of 7 skin care products. If each product contains about 20 ingredients, that equates to exposure to 140 ingredients per day.
• Ingredients like synthetic fragrances and parabens can possibly cause skin irritation.

Reading labels like many of us do on food products is a great practice to adopt when shopping for body care and cosmetics:

• Each skin type has a list of do and don’t ingredients pertaining to the specific skin concern, so you should always purchase products created specifically for your skin type.
• There are certain ingredients however that should be part of everyone’s skin program:  sunscreen, L-ascorbic acid (a universally strong antioxidant, collagen builder, and natural protectant), chemical exfoliants (to remove dead skin cells to reveal a fresher complexion), and retinol (assists the skin in cell turnover to promote a healthy functioning skin).

Since “natural” is not a regulated term, Whole Foods Market has put both an organic standard and premium body care standard in place for all products sold in our Whole Body aisle:

• Putting standards in place for body care creates a mutual accommodation between the intelligence of science and purity of nature.
• It causes vendors to focus on transparency and shoppers to feel confident in their product purchases, while simultaneously placing emphasis on protecting our natural resources.

Sarah Burns-Eggenberger recommends the following to be assured product choices are safe:

• A simple and easy way to guarantee your products are pure is to purchase from Whole Foods Market.
• Each person should create their own standard to guide in making the right skin care decisions for their needs and interests. There are many online resources and books available for research.
• Look for companies with credentials and core values that meet your level of standards for quality of ingredients, business philosophy and community involvement.

The industry is always evolving with exciting ingredients and innovations:

• A little over a decade ago there were only a handful of skin care ingredients to formulate with and now there is an abundant supply from all corners of the world!
• Plant stem cells positively influence and promote the regeneration of the skin and delay the appearance of aging.