What's In It? Evaluating Natural Product Labels
Posted: Sunday, July 26, 2009
by Rose Hillbrand
New Holistic Living
With the plethora of new "natural" and "organic" skin care products on the market, it can be a confusing task to try to figure out which ones to purchase. Visiting my local Walmart lately, I noticed an entire section devoted to "natural" beauty care. However, upon examining the labels of some of the skin-care products in this section, I found a lot of potential toxins I wasn't sure I truly want on or in my body.
The same thing with the "organic" label.
By law, a product must specify what percentage of the ingredients are actually certified organic. However, a product can use the word "organic" on the label, even if only one organic component (in sufficient amounts) is present, as long as it specifies in the tiny print somewhere, which ingredients are organic.
Here are some helpful tips to navigate through the "natural" beauty product jungle:
1. Look for products marked "100% Organic", and also with the "Certified Organic" sticker. ("100% Natural" is also good, but be aware this does not mean organic.) If you can't find 100% Organic products (which in some cases may be very difficult or impossible to find), go for the highest percentage possible, and try to make sure the other items are at least natural, if not organic.
2. Look for products containing items you can identify. I like to only buy products if I can actually pronounce all of the ingredients! This doesn't mean you have to know exactly what everything is. For example you may see the ingredient "rosehip seed oil", and not know what a rosehip is, but you can at least recognize that it is a natural substance. As an opposite example, recently there has been quite a bit of talk about parabens, and how bad they are for you (many new products even advertise "paraben free!" on the label). Therefore, if you see something like "methylparaben" on the label, you don't have to know exactly what a paraben is and how it works, to know you should avoid that product.
3. If you are buying all-natural beauty products, be aware that they may have a shorter shelf-life than the usual chemical-laden fare. Therefore, I recommend where possible, that you purchase direct from the manufacturer, so you know the item is recently made. For example, the leading producer of organic beauty products & skin care that I recommend on my website makes all their products in small batches, so that they will be as fresh as possible when you order them. If you purchase their products from another store, you may not know how long they have been sitting on the shelf. (Also check the label carefully, as some may require refrigeration.)
4. Seriously, if you can't pronounce it, it's probably a chemical you don't want on or in your body! (With the exception of some products that list natural plant-based ingredients by their scientific names -- but usually they will list the common name -- e.g. "rosehip seed oil" -- as well.) Ingredient lists for most items will also probably be much shorter than for traditional products, as natural products don't (or shouldn't!) contain artificial fragrances, dyes, or preservatives.
Hopefully this will serve as a handy checklist, next time you are bogged down in the "natural" beauty product aisle! Just remember, don't just look for "natural" or "organic" on the front of the bottle -- check the label, and also look for "100%". Also look for a short list of ingredients which you can identify (or at least spell!), and an expiration or "use-by" date. These guidelines can help reduce your toxic load -- at least the part of it that is absorbed through your skin.
Happy shopping! And for some recommendations of excellent, truly natural and organic products (as well as lots of other tips and ideas for avoiding toxins in your home and reducing your toxic load), feel free to stop by my website at the link below.
Happy shopping! And for some recommendations of excellent, truly natural and organic products (as well as lots of other tips and ideas for avoiding toxins in your home and reducing your toxic load), feel free to stop by our website at www.newholisticliving.com/toxicload.html.
This Article has been viewed 53 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Great article. Well done.The bottom line is people want organic but don't want to pay for it. The companies do the same they say it's organic to sell then skimp on the organic to get the price sale.Thanks for your comment! Yes, but actually I am finding that perhaps the "organic is more expensive" argument is perhaps a misconception? At least in some cases. With careful shopping and comparisons, I've found many 100% natural and at least partially organic products that are at comparable (or sometimes even lower) prices than regular commercial brands... Sure they will not be as cheap as generic, but if you are used to buying quality private-label (or even good department store) brands, you won't find much of a price shock if you find the right brands of the natural stuff. Case in point -- my new favorite 100% natural laundry detergent (some organic ingredients), which I LOVE, as it leaves my clothes super-soft and smelling amazing, and I have found it for under $7 for 25 loads (50 in an HE machine)! (Tide is about the same price, or more for some formulations, and is loaded with chemicals.) And I've also found similar bargains for skin care products. Shopping around helps!
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.