Most people don’t think about what’s in a skin care product, as long as it does the job. But most people would be rather shocked to read the ingredients in some of the stuff they are slathering on their faces twice a day.

Why worry? Because some estimate that 60 percent of the chemicals put on your skin are absorbed into the bloodstream. Think about it. Do you really want imidazolidinyl urea swimming around in your veins? This commonly used chemical, found in all kinds of personal care products, can cause rashes, skin irritations and may contain formaldehyde.

That’s why so many people are opting for organic skin care products because they contain only ingredients found in nature, not chemicals. One train of though is, because so much of what we put on our skin is absorbed, we should use the “would we eat it?” rule.

If you wouldn’t put it in your mouth, some people believe you shouldn’t put it on your skin, either. The word “organic” simply means that no synthetic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers or other toxic substances were used to create it. For those who try to eat mostly organic foods, it probably makes sense to also use organic skin care products.

Not only are chemicals placed in some drugstore and high-end moisturizers and lotions, some of those chemicals can actually do more harm that good to skin. Take a good, hard look at the label of the last lotion you bought. Chances are you’re going to come across some ingredients that are actually toxic to humans if ingested. Why would you want to put that chemical on your skin?

Many products contain ingredients that are known to be carcinogens. To be fair, the amounts of these chemicals are probably extremely small and unlikely to do harm. However, studies have shown that chemicals commonly put in everyday personal care products can cause rashes, headaches, permanent skin damage, a weakened immune system and even cancer. While we would never want to be alarmist, it is food for thought—but let’s keep it organic, just to be safe.