Are Natural Personal Care Products, Really Natural?

The natural product industry is indeed big business. In 2006 the natural product industry rose to over $56 billion dollars! This multi-billion dollar industry, wants you to go "natural" with all of your personal care and cosmetic products.

Consumers need to be aware that just because the label reads "natural", doesn't mean it really is.

There are no FDA (Food and Drug Administration) labeling guidelines or restrictions for adding the word natural to a product. Nor are any ingredients tested for safety by the FDA before manufacturers add them to the personal care and cosmetic products you buy.

In fact, real natural products would have to be kept in the refrigerator or it would become rancid!

The truth is that most "natural" ingredients such as herbs must be soaked in preservatives before adding them to a product. Since the preservative is not a separate ingredient, it does not need to be listed on the label. Therefore, you the unsuspecting consumer, think you are getting something natural, when you're not at all.

Before falling for the deceptive marketing of the word "natural" on a package, think about it. If the shelf life is over a week, it ain't natural! Actually, most products, natural or not, are made to last about two years on the store shelf.

A better option are products that contain "safe", tested for safety and truthfully labeled chemicals. Just like all natural ingredients are not natural and good, not all chemicals are bad.

The consumer advocacy organization Environmental Working Group lists which ingredients are toxic and must be avoided and even grades personal care and cosmetic companies for safety. Check your favorite product out at their website www.cosmeticdatabase.org.

As consumers we need to be wise before spending our hard earned money on products that claim to be "natural" but really are not.

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