One of the greatest myths of skincare is that ingredients synthesized in a laboratory are worse, or even harmful for the skin in comparison to those ingredients defined as “natural” (a term rather nebulous and still with no specific parameters).
In terms of advantages, scientifically speaking there is no difference between an ingredient that comes from plants, compared to an ingredient created in the laboratory, and, most importantly, our skin does not recognize the source and does not perceive the difference in origin.
There are obviously sustainable and safe ingredients of natural origin, such as antioxidants extracted from tea, kiwis, or grapes, but there are also many irritating natural ingredients that we’d better not use at all (like many essential oils).
All this supports the fact that the efficacy of a substance must be assessed based on scientific evidence, not on the source.
For some ingredients, it is even more suitable to create them in the laboratory, as it can be difficult to separate the various molecules to obtain a pure one.
An example? Retinol, one of the best ingredients for skin repair, is not easily extracted from plants and natural sources, but it is much easier to create it in the laboratory.