Active ingredients can be roughly divided into natural and synthetically/chemically or biotechnologically manufactured substances. Although we much prefer the natural substances, it would however be a mistake to exclude the latter group of active substances across the board. There are natural substances which are extremely dangerous for people, and synthetic substances which are of great value to people and which are much purer (without environmental contaminants) than substances coming directly from nature. The Dr. Baumann SkinIdent research team studies every single substance thoroughly to find its benefits for healthy and effective skincare and chooses the active ingredients according to these criteria. Where ever possible we prefer to use skin-related and/or skin-endemic substances which occur naturally in the skin and body and therefore under normal circumstances cannot trigger allergies.

Furthermore there is an agreed difference between active ingredients derived from plants and animals. According to our research, because animal substances have display no benefits over plant-based substances, we can create products with no animal ingredients without compromising the quality of the product, particularly now that a few beneficial animal substances can be bio-technically manufactured (E. g. hyaluronic acid) or extracted from plant resources (Cetyl palmitate instead of whale oil). There is a second and more important reason to exclude animal products. Meat and animal resources, except for a small percentage, are produced through mass-farming or “factory farming”, where animals are kept from birth in cramped spaces and mistreated their entire lives, until sometimes they undergo the confusion of unspeakable methods of livestock transportation. Because of this situation and the fact that animal produce is often treated with hormones or chemotherapy, the conclusion about these products can only be a resounding NO.

Meanwhile, every manufacturer of cosmetic products is obligated to follow the cosmetic regulation to declare every ingredient according to the INCI. Now it is up to every cosmetician to asses the quality of skincare products on the basis of their ingredients. Everybody who is interested in health should do this for their own protection, and that of their clients.