A slew of new products are taking their cues from Mother Nature's medicine chest. Are these organic ingredients the key to achieving natural beauty?

It used to be that such herbal remedies as chamomile, ginseng and tea tree oil were the sole province of health food stores. But as alternative treatments have become more mainstream, everyone seems to be getting into the act. Take a stroll down any aisle in the health and beauty store and you're sure to find cosmetics, lotions, shampoos and other potions with ingredients derived from nature. The companies claim that these down-to-earth elements are likely to be better for you than something that has been concocted in a chemist's lab. But the reality varies greatly from the myth.

REALITY #1: Just because a product claims to be natural does not mean it is free of all chemicals. Many products that tout natural ingredients such as aloe and cocoa butter also count chemicals such as sodium lareth sulphate, SD alcohol, octocrylene and other formulations among their ingredients. Smart consumers won't take the label as law. The listing of ingredients tells the true story: the higher up a name appears on the list, the greater its presence in the product. In other words, if you find the "apricot" in your "apricot scrub" is second from the last, the likelihood that you'll reap any real benefits from it are slim.

REALITY #2: A chemically-based product can be just as healthy for you as a natural product. What is often overlooked in the quest for natural beauty is that most of the ingredients in cosmetics were originally derived from plants, then isolated by scientists in lab. The chemical result is not necessarily toxic, as many natural products claim. What can be a danger to you is trying out products with natural herbs and essential oils in concentrations that have been untested or are not extensively-researched. In many cases, there has not been enough experimentation with the natural cosmetics to know how it will affect your body. Too much of a good thing, even a natural product, can be harmful if you don't know what you're dealing with.

REALITY #3: Organic ingredients are no substitute for a healthy diet and lifestyle. You can use cosmetics with all of the natural ingredients in the world and still have troublesome skin problems. Because organic products are just a part of a holistic program. Eating a balanced diet, drinking lots of water, and steering clear of foods and beverages that trigger breakouts are just as important as using the right maintenance products. Living right is the one solution for achieving natural beauty that beats out all others.

So, does all of this mean that you shouldn't even bother going nature's way? Absolutely not! The key is to be choosy about the products in which you invest your hard-earned dollars. We've included a list of the hottest natural ingredients being used in products today, and tell you how to make the most of what they've got:

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Vanessa Bush has covered the beauty and fashion scene for a host of magazines including Glamour and Honey, and she is currently an editor at Essence. She is the co-author, with supermodel Tyra Banks, of Tyra's Beauty Inside & Out. Vanessa and her family make their home in New Jersey.

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