paraben preservatives, and mineral oil among the ingredients. Yesterday, I was drawn to a shelf with
Olay products that had green leaves on the packaging and the word “natural” on the label. Since all
big cosmetic players are doing mineral makeup now, I was hoping to see an organic line. Not this
time. Although the ingredient list contained more natural plant extracts than common drugstore
products would, the list was still scattered with PEGs, parabens, and disodium EDTA.
This means that the word “natural” on the product box really means nothing, even when it adorns a
pretty label with a bunch of flowers on it. This allows keen marketers to slap the hot word “natural”
on the label.
According to government labeling requirements, “natural” means that an ingredient “has not been
significantly altered from its original state, nor has anything been removed from it (with the exception
of water), nor have other substances been added to it.” Nothing in this definition prohibits a company
from combining the natural ingredient with the most toxic of chemicals. “Natural” products may
contain genetically modified organisms that were grown with synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and
fertilizers, small amounts of which seep into our skin. Unlike organic, natural products are not
certified by third parties, and their ingredients can still be grown in sewage sludge.
Green Fact
Beauty products marketed as natural often contain just one or two natural ingredients.
Synthetic beauty manufacturers and affiliated media insist there is no such thing as a 100 percent
natural or organic ingredient. To distill an essential oil or collect beeswax, they say, we have to use
chemically enhanced machinery and unnatural tools made of plastic and metal. For instance,
cocamide DEA is derived from coconut oil. Coconut oil is a perfectly natural source, so what’s not
natural about it?
Usage of metal machinery and plastic tools should be the least of your concerns when it comes to
the difference between synthetic and organic. The truth is, the manufacturing process of cocamide
DEA, just like many ingredients with DEA, TEA, andMEA in their names, requires the use of
carcinogenic synthetic chemicals triethanolamine (TEA), monoethanola-mine (MEA), or
diethanolamine (DEA). So even if something comes from a natural source, it doesn’t mean it’s
organic and generally good for you.
This means that skin care products with at least one organic ingredient used in large quantities can
be labeled “organic,” regardless of the origin of the other ingredients used in them. This is why you
should become ingredient-savvy and learn to spot potentially toxic ingredients even if they are tossed
between certified organic aloe vera juice and grape seed extract. One organic ingredient doesn’t
make the beauty product safe and pure, and you are no better off using it than any other conventional
product from a drugstore shelf.
“There are many ‘hybrid natural’ ingredients used in ‘green’ cosmetics,” reminds Debra Lynn
Dadd, the proclaimed Queen of Green by the New York Times. “For example, sodium laureth sulfate
is called a natural ingredient because it’s made of coconut oil. But since there are so many chemicals
added to it, it’s not the same as putting coconut oil on your skin. I could never understand why you
have to put artificial colors in a product that is made from oils and juices from a rain forest. I think if
a brand is natural, it should be only using natural ingredients. After talking to so many companies, I
understood they are not trying to be natural. They take their old formulas and add one or two natural
ingredients. While there’s nothing wrong with that, people get the idea that these brands are
completely natural. As long as the brands are accurate about what they are, I can choose whether to