So you don’t believe in ‘natural’ hmmmm?
at around evening time of March 15th, 2006I came across an article by Deanna Ferber, President of GlamKitty. In her article, she writes that “there are not really any ‘all natural’ products available for commercial sale. Unless you make them yourself, and are prepared to refrigerate them & use them within a few days, you really can’t find any. This is because, just as in food products, the ingredients are perishable. Just think what would happen to a jar of ‘natural’ ingredients sitting on your vanity… The smell alone would keep me from opening the lid, let alone touching it! So beauty products, like foods, use preservatives to give them added shelf time.”
Perishable
First of all, with fifteen years experience in the food industry, I can assure Deanna Ferber that there are quite a number of foods that don’t require any preservatives and can last up to a year and more. For example, a well formulated and correctly processed jam or conserve will keep for many, many years. I still have some that are ten years old and have been stored in terribly hot conditions and not suffered one iota. Vinaigrettes, sauces and salad dressings will keep for twelve months. Relishes and pickles the same.
The same logic that is applied to preserving food ‘naturally‘ can be applied to skincare and bodycare. It requires an amalgam of ingredients with unique properties that can work in synergy with each other, throw in some commonsense and a large dose of innovation and it can be done. I have done it.
“When you buy products, they have to last through storage with the company, shipping and still have some time left for you to use them.” says Ms. Ferber.
Storage
Unfortunately, for the end user, “storage with the company” can mean years sitting around in a warehouse before it gets shipped to the store. If the product contains active ingredients (these are the ingredients in a product that are supposed to do what the manufacturer claims) then these have well and truly begun to deteriorate and can even be unsafe. Preservatives will not stop ingredients from deteriorating over time, they simply inhibit bacterial growth. Fresh=potency.
“As for the term ‘natural’ it is not even regulated.” says Ferber, “this means any company can call their product natural, no matter what it contains.”
Natural
Sadly, the term ‘natural’ is NOT regulated and companies are exploiting this loophole to mislead the public.
The Natural Source is one such business, located in Adelaide, South Australia. I was walking past the store and overheard some customers exclaiming how pleased they were that there was a business dealing with natural products. The large sign above the store proclaiming The Natural Source was enough of a lure for me, so I had to investigate. Unfortunately, the products I examined were anything but natural and contained among other toxic ingredients the full family of parabens.
Conclusion….buyer beware.
