Dr. Kathy McMurtry, 62, an esthetician from Magnolia College of Cosmetology in Jackson, Mississippi, agrees. She discussed how hormones and pH levels can affect the way your skin looks and feels.

McMurtry
“When [your pH] is balanced, you’re going to be looking radiant, going to be looking good and feeling good,” McMurtry said.
McMurtry has a background in marketing. When she was a child, she quickly learned how to talk to others after her grandmother began bringing her door to door on evangelist trips.
“Marketing has been embedded in me since I was a child,” McMurtry said, “so when I went to school, I knew what I wanted to do. I just had to figure out what to market.”
McMurtry has been an esthetician since 1997 and has been instructing students in esthetics at Magnolia College since April 2019. She is also an herbalist and creates her own skincare products.
“I use herbs from the earth — chamomile and sage and shea butter — all those properties are a great benefit to the skin,” McMurtry said. “Others, too. Lavender is calming; rose helps to tighten and firm the skin.
“Vitamin E is very good for all types of skin. Ingredients like chamomile, rosemary, and sage are targeted toward mature skin. Aloe vera is more for young people.”
Ross said the ingredients she uses to make her products are natural and moisturizing. She uses goat milk and essential oils in her soaps, and her body butter and sugar scrubs contain sugar, coconut milk, oils, and shea butter.
Ross said natural products have become popular because younger generations have learned to do their own research about organic skincare options.
“We have become the generations that only want natural and want to help the environment,” Ross said. “We have learned about all of the chemicals and terrible products we have been putting on and inside our bodies and have decided to make a change.”

Shipp
Dr. Lyndsay Shipp, 36, a dermatologist and founder of Dermatology Associates of Oxford in Mississippi, said consumers may choose organic products because it gives them a sense of safety.
“There is a lot of misinformation that is not science-backed that makes consumers feel like they are not doing the correct thing if they don’t buy organic,” Shipp said.
McMurtry agrees that more consumers have started researching before they buy.
“I believe because people are being more aware of the holistic wellness approach, they’re putting more effort into buying organic products,” she said. “What is holistic wellness? It’s an approach to life, a lifestyle.
“It’s when a person looks at their lifestyle and has a certain approach—when you focus on your mind, your body, your spirit, how you eat, exercise, what you put on your skin and in your body. You don’t want any chemicals.”
Holistic “characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease.”
McMurtry said this includes “self-love, self-care, taking care of yourself,” meaning holistic wellness involves taking care of every part of yourself, not just your skin, when thinking of natural skincare.
In order to alleviate consumer concerns about product ingredients, Ross includes detailed labels on all of her products and is open to any customer questions.
McMurtry also stresses the importance of product labels, explaining that organic products are better only if they are actually organic.
“When [consumers] read the label, they need to make sure it has a certified organic label,” McMurtry said. “If people would read labels and get a better understanding of the product and do a little research, I think they would change their minds and use natural products.”
Dr. Shipp said organic products are typically plant-derived. However, she said some organic products may only be described as such because they don’t contain dyes and preservatives, including paraben.
“The ingredients that are typically removed are the preservatives, which make the organic products not have as long of a shelf life,” Shipp said. “Also, a lot of times, the preservatives that are removed are replaced with other ingredients that can be more allergenic.”