Having spent twelve years as a stylist, I have a reputation among women for being a dependable authority in the world of beauty. However, they fail to realize that simple being a sharp, gay male at an attractive 6′2” does not automatically qualify me as an authority on the subject of beauty. It is true, though, that I always look out for any information that can help me get ahead among my colleagues .

Recently I was applying highlights to a client’s hair when she began a lighthearted conversation with a fellow stylist of mine. She began going on elaborately about the 54th birthday party she had just had. I was surprised beyond belief; this lady had been coming to me for 5 years, and I had always believed her to be just shy of 45, if not younger.

I managed to hide my inquisitiveness about this woman’s secret to youth for a couple more minutes, but I ended up having to inquire as to how she managed to stay looking so young. Procedures like face lifts and Botox were the first to come to my mind, but I knew I had been mistaken about their use before, and I was in this case too.

I cracked a smile to my client after getting the confidence to speak up and asked, “Girl what are you doing to keep yourself looking so young?”. We both giggled a bit about it and she pulled me in towards her by my hand and said, “Do you promise not divulge my secret?” After I gave an eager silent agreement, she leaned in closer and said, “I found the fountain of youth”, and I found myself laughing wholeheartedly.

Then my client began to tell me about an organic skin cream she had been using for the past four years, and how she preferred it to the creams that were created in labs that she had tried before. Upon hearing this, I wondered privately, “How could there be that much of a difference?”

After work, I chose to find out more information about the topic myself. When I did a little digging, I realized that almost all skin creams, including many that used the label “organic” made use of preservatives that made the cream both less efficient and more expensive.

I came to find out that the company that produced the skin cream my client raved about uses only ingredients that are grown in organic settings, and that they completely avoid any that could possibly be toxic. Also, they do not dilute any of their ingredients despite their potency, and to avoid lessening the effectiveness of their final product, at no point do they add artificial scents or coloration to it.

As such, when considering a skin cream, you should always look for any ingredients that may be harmful to your health; I’ve found that unless a skin cream is completely natural, it most likely will contain some. In 2004, a study was conducted that found that Prebens was a preservative used in many cosmetic products that was also found in 90% of breast cancer tumors. So, you should always look for organic skin creams as they are the most healthy, effective, and affordable option for you.