Most natural beauty experts will tell you that you’ve got to read your products’ ingredients labels if you want to understand what you’re slathering on your skin. Unfortunately, the average ingredients list is about as easy to decipher as the Rosetta Stone. Who knew the word fragrance could actually mask a bevy of dubious chemicals? Or that butyrospermum parkii is just shea butter? To avoid straining my eyes and brain, I talked to four natural beauty experts, all involved in the industry in slightly different ways. Below is their advice on what natural ingredients to look for in your beauty products.

The Experts

Clockwise from top left:

• Ido Leffler, founder of the fruit-and-veggie-focused personal care line Yes to Carrots
• Sophie Uliano, blogger and New York Times bestselling author of Gorgeously Green
• Sonia White, managing director of LoveLula, online apothecary specializing in organic and natural beauty products
• Kate Murphy, blogger behind Living Pretty, Naturally

Sophie and Kate both recommend rosehip oil for signs of aging, from wrinkles to stretch marks. Kate says, “High-quality rosehip oils that have been pressed properly have incredible amounts of vitamin A, which is essentially natural retinol.”

Sonia suggests rosewood, a rarer find than rosehip oil which she says improves elasticity. She’d use it in tandem with frankincense, believed to encourage new cell growth, for a one-two punch that’s “ideal for mature skin.”

Sonia and Ido both praise fruit-derived enzymes and antioxidants, which can help slough off dead skin cells to clear clogged pores. Sonia says fruit-enzyme masks are “safer than harsh exfoliators, as they remove dead skin cells without damaging living cells.”

Which fruits are best? For Ido, nothing beats fruits with salicylic acids in them—and there’s a slew of them, from blackberries to tomatoes. He’s not alone in his fandom. Salicylic acid is the active ingredient in almost all acne-fighting drugstore cleansers.

Sonia adds that the best fruit for your skin depends on your skin type. If you have sensitive skin, try papaya, mango, or fig. “Oily and acne-prone skin will have good results with pineapple for its clarifying results, papaya for its antibacterial properties, and kiwi for its antimicrobial properties,” she says.

Whether the cause is sun damage, acne, or hormones, Sophie says that to treat hyperpigmentation, “I’d go to my vitamin C…but still you’re going to want to look at a regime, not a single product or ingredient. I’d have you do peels, AHA serums, deep exfoliation via fruit and glycolic acids. And then really nourish your skin with natural oils.”

If you’re going to stick with one ingredient, though, Ido prefers lycopene, which he uses in the Yes to Grapefruit line. He says it’s “the big one when it comes to [age] spots.”

And Kate urges prevention. “A mineral sunscreen is also essential to prevent any further skin discoloration.”

If you have dry or sensitive skin, you’ll likely want to steer clear of essential oils. They can cause irritation, according to Sonia. “However, rose oil can be beneficial for reducing redness in the skin, and chamomile can be used to soothe the skin,” she says. “Rose and chamomile are also excellent for dry skin.”

Kate’s first inclination is to address dry skin from the inside out. “Foods like walnuts, avocados, vitamin E–rich sunflower seeds, and even oils like Borage seed oil when taken internally can greatly help dry skin. Topically, it’s important to protect the skin and seal in moisture. I love facial oils which are rich, like chia seed oil or argan oil.”

Ido and Sonia both name parabens and sulfates as taboos in their businesses. Ido and Sophie also cite pthalates as big no-nos: Sophie says that “without question [they] compromise your health.” Indeed, the EPA has named the ingredient a “chemical of concern.” It’s commonly found in deodorant, hair mousse, and nail polish, but some studies suggest that it can wind up in the bloodstream and influence hormone production.

Kate has a simple rule of thumb: “If I can't pronounce it (and in brackets it doesn't say a name like ‘jojoba seed oil’), then I won't buy it.” Not all harmful ingredients have difficult-to-pronounce names, though. Sophie points out that the term fragrance is often used as “a loophole…there are an awful lot of chemicals [that get lumped] under that little term.”

Ultimately though, Sophie says, “It’s not so much that one ingredient could be harmful, or let’s say carcinogenic, but…when a bunch of chemicals are combined…[unforeseen] chemical reactions can occur.” This can render seemingly harmless products unhealthy. So in addition to looking for recognizable ingredient names, it may be a good idea to choose products with fewer ingredients overall.

Thumbnail photo: Amanda Nyren, Groupon; grid photos courtesy of Ido Leffler, Sophie Uliano, Sonia White, Kate Murphy