What Does Natural and Organic Mean On Product Labels?
Nowhere does the idea of “natural” or “organic” take a more gratuitous bruising than in the skin care industry. If we look at the term “natural” we would probably define it as “existing in, or formed by nature; not artificial”. Many labels have long lists of chemical names, some followed by the phrase “derived from …” (some natural substance). This is misleading for consumers. When chemicals such as Cocamide DEA or Sodium Hydroxysultaine are followed by the words “derived from coconut oil” the consumer is led to believe that these synthetic chemicals must be natural. While this may be true in some cases, it is ultimately irrelevant because what you end up with after the chemical processing is usually anything but natural or pure. To create Cocamide DEA, a foaming agent found in some shampoos, requires the addition of a synthetic chemical known carcinogen, Diethanolamine – DEA, to the coconut oil. It is therefore no longer natural, or safe! If we look at the term “organic” on a label,
