Guest Post by Catherine Gray

Today we see “all natural” on many of the products we buy. However, this can be a very misleading statement. The manufacturers are hoping you will not ask any questions and trust them. Well we did ask some questions and here is what we found.

Many companies claim their product is natural if it is plant derived, comes from nature, or contains vegetable-based ingredients. You have to look a little deeper to see if this is actually true. Here are some important things to look for when buying your products:

1. Does it contain persistent chemicals?

One way to find out is to look up ingredients in your product on the Safe Cosmetics Campaign database: www.safecosmetics.org This is a great resource that will help you understand what is in your product and if it is safe. We have included an abbreviated form of the database in the next section.

3. Are the ingredients really natural? A product may say “plant derived” but this does not mean it is natural. For example, a lotion may say it contains “all natural” ingredients. However, today many of these ingredients can by synthetically produced – such as shea butter. So you need to be sure that the lotion or the company really understands this and uses all natural ingredients.

4. How is the plant material extracted? In the process of extracting the “all natural” ingredients, many times manufacturers used chemical solvents that are very toxic. Here is a list of ingredients that are often extracted with solvents:

• Apricot Kernel Oil

• Jojoba Oil

• Castor Oil

• Almond Oil

• Beeswax

• Cocoa Butter

• Mango Butter

The only way to be sure that no solvents were used is to for the words “cold processed” or “cold pressed oils.”

5.Fragrance oils or essential oils? Finally you want to watch out for fragrance oils. A lot of companies use “fragrance oils” in stead of essential oils. These are synthetic! Residue from synthetic fragrance oils have been found in breast tissue of many women. They are toxic.

So here is what we recommend. Look for the following when buying “all natural” products:

1. Does it contain persistent chemicals?

2. How many ingredients are all natural?

3. Is it plant-based?

4. Is it cold – processed?

5. Was it chemically refined or bleached?

6. It is fragranced only with essential oils?

Catherine Gray is the former Executive Director The Natural Step and currently serves as Director Spa Radiance. She is also a proud environmentalist and mother.