Natural Cosmetics a bit of a Joke?

Natural Cosmetics a bit of a Joke?

So having been yet again asked a lot of very silly questions about ‘natural’ ingredients I decided to put fingers to keyboard and have a rant.

Where do these journalists and consumers get these crazy ideas of what natural cosmetics are? Today I have been asked is polyglyceryl-4 oleate natural and is the alcohol used in perfume natural and what about PEG 40 castor oil etc etc.

First let’s be clear about one thing, if you want the Rope sandal and Mung Bean approach, then you are going to be limited to crude vegetable oil and a few essential oils, fats glycerine and alcohol. And whilst on the subject of ethanol or alcohol if you want to use ‘food grade alcohol’ you will end up selling a liqueur needing a licence!

Don’t forget crude vegetable oils may well carry certain proteins and even some moulds that give strong allergic reactions and nibble away at skin cells. So be warned nature is not safe! As for essential oils, in the wrong hands they can be pretty damaging too and look at the list of allergens the law requires to be printed on the pack.

The problem is no one can agree what natural means. That is why the term is not seen on TV adverts for cosmetics. The Noble EU is trying to define the word, God help us.

Look here, let’s accept there is an aversion to Chemistry amongst consumers, so let’s get real and ask consumers what they mean.

Is an egg natural? Answer - yes! Is an omelette natural? Answer - no! Why? because it is not found in nature and all sorts of nasty chemical reactions have taken place when the yolk is mixed with the white and the natural proteins etc are screwed up by the heat and the trace of oil used might get incorporated and the heat might have changed that form and if the pan was non stick coated well we can be sure some trace of some poison got into the omelette. Get the point? Not all chemistry is bad. WE need to be realistic in our appraisal.

Let’s ask another question; is an omelette nature derived? Answer - yes. And here we are again with, from the consumer use of the word, a natural product.

There are all sorts of pundits out there all saving the world by scaring the pants off us about damaging cosmetics. Mostly such sites are trying to sell us a product or a political philosophy. Fear sells. Fact is boring.

The INCI list on the pack may look like a chemical minefield but it is just a list of ingredients using the nomenclature of the specialist scientist for quite common substances especially now when international markets require common labelling. Hence water becomes Aqua for example.

The trouble with the INCI listing is it tells you nothing about the quality of the ingredient. Was an oil made from rotten nuts or an essential oil distilled fresh or from old material? You will not find this from the INCI list. In fact you cannot find out at all about quality yet this is the crucial point for a real natural product and a point of difference between brands.

Natural products have a name for being cheap and come often in minimal packaging. Any vegetable and fruit shopper knows this does not hold water. Nature is not cheap.

Natural Cosmetics have had an easy ride on the back of consumer fears. It’s time consumers woke up and started asking questions about EFFECT not what a product does not contain.

 

 

 

© Jan Kuśmirek