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Have you ever bought a cosmetic that you were assured was natural, only to get it home and wonder what on earth all those long names in the ingredient list were?
What does 'natural' or 'organic' mean on cosmetic labels?
Nowhere do the terms "natural" or "organic" take a more of a beating than in cosmetics marketing. Frankly, we find this very disturbing. We believe marketers owe it to consumers to be clear in what they’re saying. To help you understand what we mean, we contrast the common commercial definitions with those of miessence® below.
Definitions of natural
commercial:
any ingredient "derived from" a natural substance |
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miessence®:
existing in, or formed by nature; not artificial |
Definitions of organic
commercial:
any compound containing
carbon |
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miessence®:
grown, cultivated and stored without the use of chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, fumigants or other toxins |
What does this mean? That many marketers fall back on the organic chemistry definition of organic, which is “any compound containing carbon.” But carbon is found in anything that’s ever lived. So by using this definition of organic, manufacturers can (and do) say that the petrochemical preservative, methyl paraben, is "organic" because it was formed by leaves that rotted over thousands of years to become the crude oil used to make this toxic preservative.
To be certified organic is a quantum leap beyond “made with organic ingredients.” Certified organic products must pass stringent quality testing and standards. No synthetic chemicals may be used at any stage of the production chain, beginning with growing, harvesting, storage, transporting and processing, right through to the final ready-for-market product. Where an ingredient essential to product function (e.g. xanthan gum to thicken) is not yet available from organic producers, then up to a maximum of 5% of non-organic ingredients may be used in the product, but only until that ingredient becomes available from organic producers. There are also strict rules for what is allowed as non-organic ingredients. For one thing, they must be naturally extracted plant products and cannot be genetically modified.
How to understand a typical ingredients list
A typical cosmetic label can be broken into 3 parts. The first third of a cosmetic label usually makes up 90-95% of the products ingredients. The second third makes up 5-8% and the last third 1-3%. See the diagram below for the breakdown of a typical off-the-shelf moisturizer ingredient list.
A basic rule of thumb is that whenever you find an ingredient name you can’t pronounce easily, then it’s probably not good for you. Let’s see how the rule works in the list above:
- dimethicone (silica) is an eye and skin irritant known to cause tumors in the lungs, thorax & endocrine system
- sodium laureth sulfate (coconut) is composed of 4 known carcinogens
- cocoamidopropyl hydroxysultaine has never been studied for its toxic effect, but it causes eye & skin redness & stinging
- triethanolamine (TEA) is highly irritating to the human body & corrosive to the eyes; it reacts with nitrosating agents to form carcinogenic nitrosamines
- methylchloroisothiazolinone is a nitrosating agent that burns & corrodes the skin and can cause irreversible eye damage
- phenoxyethanol is toxic to the kidney & bladder, causes reproductive disorders, brain degeneration & serious damage to the eyes
- methyl paraben (so-called organic) is a petroleum-based preservative that is connected to breast cancer & irritates the eyes, skin & respiratory tract
- FD&C yellow no.6 is a known carcinogen that causes allergic reactions, triggers asthma & is banned in some countries
And misleadingly easy “fragrance” can contain up to 4000 separate ingredients & cause allergic reactions, violent coughing & vomiting.
Mark Anderson RHN January 2007
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