The event, hosted alongside the HBA Expo, will take place in New York on 29-30th Septmeber. The Masterclass aims to de-mystify natural & organic cosmetic standards for personal care and ingredient firms.

The natural personal care products industry is seeing a new trend where retailers are demanding certified products in response to consumer confusion about natural and organic beauty products. The use of the terms ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ is presently unregulated, which has caused manufactures to verify the origins of their products via independent third party certifications, such as the one issued by the Natural Products Association.

The new trend is highlighted by the fact that Whole Foods Market, the world’s largest natural product retailer, will only be marketing certified organic personal care products next year.

Retailers and manufacturers alike are making a new found commitment to third party verification schemes. In Europe too natural and organic retailers require certification to be considered for sale in stores. The same is true for some retailers in Asia, such as a leading natural food retailer, Country Farm.

In order to combat a large number of products that market on false natural and organic claims, Organic Monitor’s new Masterclass helps companies take the certification route and look at the practical implications of natural and organic cosmetic standards.

Some brands are using organic ingredients to promote their products as ‘organic’, although the formulation remains far from entirely organic. Organic Monitor will be critically reviewing the various natural and organic cosmetic standards in North American and other regions to provide clarity and transparency on ‘natural’ personal care products.

The study of nearly 4,000 consumer products discovered unverifiable information and blatant lies regarding their claim to be 100% natural, all natural, organic, or otherwise environmental friendly.

The rise of the ‘green’ craze has not only driven manufacturers and brands to search for creative marketing strategies to appeal to the new green conscious consumer, but also the 300+ environmental certification programmes are competing for a piece of the market.  Shoppers are now bombarded by irrelevant and deceptive labels, claiming to be something they are not.

Green, natural, eco-friendly, recyclable, fragrance free, we have now seen and heard it all, but are they true?  Sadly, as the study shows, 98% are false.

You may wonder how this can be true; and think to yourself: don’t I, as a consumer, have the right to be protected against such lies and deception?  Well, trust me, you are not the only one posing this question.  But unfortunately government agencies that regulate drugs, food, and personal care products, like the FDA, do not define or regulate the use of the word “natural” on personal care or cosmetic products.

Within the government agencies regulating the labeling and advertising of cosmetics there is a lack of consensus on what the term “natural” actually means.  This has led to there being very little guidance on the use of “natural” on labels and in advertising.

The majority of consumers believe that “natural” products come from nature, which gives consumers a false sense of security about their safety.  In some consumers minds “natural” is synonymous with safe, but be warned not all things natural are safe.

Manufacturers and marketers alike are capitalizing on the unregulated terms that carry significant “green” appeal, like “natural”, “non-toxic”, and “fragrance free”, and by doing so are gravely misleading consumers, and in some cases just flat out lying.

This is not to say that all products with “natural” labels are not “natural”, but more likely than not the products claiming to be all “natural” include more than just natural ingredients.

Reading the fine print on labels will not necessarily help either. Companies are not required to disclose the use of some substances believed to be dangerous.  TerraChoice, has written about the 7 most common misleading and deceptive tactics used by manufacturers and marketers, and they are as follows:

1. The Sin of the Hidden Trade-off suggests that a product is ‘green’ based on a narrow set of attributes without attention to other important environmental issues. Paper, for example, is not necessarily environmentally-preferable just because it comes from a sustainably-harvested forest.
2. The Sin of No Proof happens when environmental assertions are not backed up by evidence or third-party certification. One common example is facial tissue products that claim various percentages of post-consumer recycled content without providing any supporting details.
3. The Sin of Vagueness occurs when a marketing claim is so lacking in specifics it becomes meaningless. ‘”All-natural” is an example of this Sin. Arsenic, uranium, mercury, and formaldehyde are all naturally occurring, and poisonous. “All natural” isn’t necessarily “green.”
4. The Sin of Worshiping False Labels is when marketers create a false suggestion or certification-like image to mislead consumers into thinking that a product has been through a legitimate green certification process. One example of this sin is a brand of aluminum foil with certification-like images that show the name of the company’s own in-house environmental program for which there is no explanation. This sin has been added to TerraChoice’s list since it’s previous report in 2007.
5. The Sin of Irrelevance arises when an environmental issue unrelated to the product is emphasized. One example is the claim that a product is “CFC-free,”  since CFCs are banned by law.
6. The Sin of Lesser of Two Evils occurs when an environmental claim makes consumers feel ‘green’ about a product category that is itself lacking in environmental benefits. Organic cigarettes are an example of this phenomenon.
7. The Sin of Fibbing is when environmental claims are outright false. One common example is products falsely claiming to be Energy Star certified.

As marketers and manufacturers are working hard to deceive consumers to make their product appear as something it really is not, it is our duty as consumers to educate ourselves and be able to find the 2% of products that are actually natural. And here is how you can start:

• Don’t trust the label as fact.  Understand that just cause it says natural, does not mean it really is.
• Shop with a discerning eye.  Trust your gut.  If it is too good to be true it most likely is, and the claim is just advertising hype.
• Read the ingredients carefully.  Fake natural products often will have a long list of ingredients full of chemicals that may be harmful.
• Compare similar products.  Look at the ingredients of one product that claims to be natural and one that does not, and see if there are any differences.
• When in doubt check with a health professional.
• Research the product.  How is it made and/or processed?  What is the origin and source of the “natural” ingredients?

The complete findings of the 2009 TerraChoice study can be found here.

30 years ago it would be very difficult for even the most scrupulous natural product consumer to find crystal deodorant. The market was in its infancy, but the potential was clear. Crystal deodorant packs a mean combo of benefits. When applied to the skin it is entirely invisible and leaves no sticky or oily residue on the skin. Furthermore, it provides 24 hour protection and is fragrance free.

The impressive list of benefits matched with its 100% natural origin led to the transformation of the crystal deodorant market and created what most consumers today know as crystal deodorant. Companies were simply unwilling to endure the costly mineral extraction process, and through scientific advancements and thorough R&D, manufacturers discovered that potassium alum can be synthetically manufactured.  However, the synthetic mineral that is more commonly used in mainstream crystal deodorant is actually more closely associated to ammonium alum.

This is not to say all crystal deodorants are made with synthetic minerals, but there remain some clear visual differences in the product choices available.

Crystal Deodorant Appearance

Potassium alum is found in deposits in the Earth’s crust typically in the South American Andes and near the Mediterranean Sea. When potassium alum is extracted from the earth it is a colorless, translucent crystalline stone, also known as a mineral crystal.  Another more common mineral crystal that shares a similar appearance is quartz. Therefore, a truly natural crystal deodorant stone or stick that is made from unaltered potassium alum appears the same as the day it was extracted – colorless and translucent.

Below is a picture Natural Cosmetic News took comparing two crystal deodorants we found that were both labeled natural and listed the same ingredients. The one on the right is clearly colorless and translucent, and the one of the left is obviously opaque and white.

So, how is it that supposedly both products are natural and made of the exact same ingredient but appear different? Well, it is probably because the actual source of the ingredient is different, or at least the quality. It is quite simple to identify unaltered natural potassium alum due to its translucency. And the white opaqueness of the crystal deodorant pictured above is most likely a result of a key ingredient used during the manufacturing process of synthetic ammonium alum. Aluminum hydroxide, a white cosmetic opacifying agent, is used to make ammonium alum.

If the quality or the original source of the deodorizing ingredient is compromised the efficacy is too. Only 100% pure crystal deodorants, which have been clinically tested, provide the aforementioned benefits, but what about the impure ones?  Until the term “natural” becomes more regulated with stricter standards that eliminate synthetic replicas, the best judge for the true origin of the crystal deodorant is your own eye.

That is why some organizations such as the National Consumers League (http://www.nclnet.org/) are making an effort to have consumers understand that even though companies claim to manufacture the best natural products, this may be misleading information.

The problem, besides companies claiming to have all natural ingredients in their products even when it may not be true, is that consumers believes them. And because of this they may spend a lot of money for a product that instead of improving their way of life, it may be causing health issues. In a 2002 survey, the National Consumers League showed that 86% of consumers who participated believe that products labeled “natural” were nothing but that. And three out of four people actually expect those “natural” products to contain at least 90% natural ingredients in them.

The word “natural” on a label implies that products that the consumer intends to buy or buy are pure,healthy, organic, safe to use and that its raw materials are obtained from the  earth.  Some companies even go as far as to using imagery, pictures of trees, flowers and fruit; to visually convince them that their purchase is in fact the best choice or one of the best choices in the market.

The truth is that even when personal care products have these labels it doesn’t mean anything at all.   Keep in mind that these products labelled as “natural” may contain harmful preservatives and synthetic essential oils. Some of them can become a bigger threat when they chemically react  with each other, even when not as harmful when used separately.

In some cases the products you buy because you believe are safe, contain the same dangerous ingredients you are trying to avoid.

When manufacturing a true nature product some of the aspects that need to be considered are the following:

Materials which are of botanical, mineral or animal origin may be used as long as there is no contamination which may result in risking people’s health. Manufacturers also need to consider that these products won’t cause any allergic reactions to those who use them.

Natural ingredients used in natural products need to be obtained by means of specific techniques such as extrusion, centrifugation, filtration, distillation, extraction, percolation, absorptive techniques, freezing or drying.  Microbiological and enzymatic methods are allowed as well. The process of extraction can be carried out by water, ethyl alcohol and other appropriate natural derived solvents. Any essential oil, fragrance or perfume that has been synthetically altered or chemically modified cannot be used.

Although these are only some of the aspects to be considered and are technical considerations. you can do your part to protect your family and yourself from potentially harmful products. Make sure you choose certified organic and natural personal care products. Minimize health hazards by reading labels and selecting products carefully.