Natural Skin Care... True or False?

One question I get asked often is:

"Is that company really natural?"

A lot of the time I'm sad to say the answer is NO.  Many companies use words like nature, organic, botanicals, made with natural... etc.  Quite often I'll be watching TV or listening to the radio and some ad will come on claiming some brand is natural (or thereabouts) when it's NOT, and I cringe when I listen to these ads worrying that people are being fooled into believing what the ad is claiming. Ads by Garnier, Dove, Nivea, Herbal Essence... and ALL the rest...

A general rule of thumb is: if it sits on a store shelf it is NOT natural!!!!

There is always something in the product (usually synthetic) that allows it to be left sitting on a store shelf for long periods of time.

Ok, so lets look at some brands who claim to be more NATURAL than the rest:

Arbonne

Line Defiance Liquid Foundation SPF15:
Water, Octinoxate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Butylene Glycol, Peg/ppg-18/18 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Polysilicone-11, Hexyl Laurate, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Dimethylacrylamide/acrylic Acid, Polystyrene Ethyl Methacrylate Copolymer Disteardimonium Hectorite, Cetyl Peg/ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Lecithin, Coco-caprylate/caprate, Dimethicone/divinyldimethicone, Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Stearoxymethicone/dimethicone Copolymer, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Propylene Carbonate, Propylene Glycol Stearate, Propylene Glycol Laurate, Ethoxydiglycol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Laurate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Oligopeptide-10, Aminobutyric Acid, Barium Sulfate, Glycerin, Steareth-20, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Chrysin, N-hydroxysuccinimide, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-14, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Sodium Chloride, Stearic Acid, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Alumina, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Mica (77019), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499).

[information from: feelgoodstyle.com 2009]

~ It's worth a note that research shows Abonne use to use parabens and propylene glycol. As you can see from the below product ingredients none of those are in this product.  It does contain urea though, a chemical compound found animal urine, although is is also made artificially. Urea is a preservative that often releases formaldehyde which causes joint pain, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep. Exposure also irritates the respiratory system; triggers heart palpitations or asthma, and aggravates coughs and colds. Other side effects include weakening the immune system and cancer. ~   

Intensive Renewal Serum

Water, cyclopentasiloxane, polymethyl methacrylate, acrylates/dimethicone copolymer, polysorbate 40, polyacrylate-13, butylene glycol, saccharum officinarum sugar cane extract, fagus sylvatica bud extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract, citrus aurantium dulcis orange fruit extract, citrus limon (lemon) fruit extract, lavandula stoechas extract, pyrus malus (apple) leaf extract, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, hypericum perforatum extract, nasturtium officinale extract,panax ginseng root extract, pueraria lobata root extract, trifolium pratense clover flower extract,  betula alba leaf extract, laminaria digitata extract, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, borago officinalis seed oil, hippophae rhamnoides oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride, xanthan gum, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, retinyl palmitate, ascorbyl palmitate, tocopheryl acetate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, thioctic acid, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, glycerin, magnesium aluminum silicate, sodium lactate, allantoin, sodium, hydroxide, dimethiconol, polyisobutylene, polysorbate 20, polyamino sugar condensate, urea, panthenol, lecithin, salicylic acid, hydrogenated lecithin, sodium PCA, Stearamine, Silica, tetrasodium edta, Lactic Acid, sodium hyaluronate, potassium sorbate, phenoxyethanol, lemonene, iron oxides Ci 77491, Titanium Dioxide Ci 77891

Here is a breakdown of hazards with some of the ingredients Abonne use

Aveeno

Baby Soothing Relief Moisture Cream
Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour (Oat), Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Ceteareth 6, Hydrolyzed Milk Protein, Hydrolyzed Oats, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, PEG 25 Soy Sterol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Benzalkonium Chloride Solution, Benzaldehyde, Butylene Glycol, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Ethyl Alcohol, Isobutylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Stearyl Alcohol

[information from: http://www.thesmartmama.com/june-junk-claim-2-aveeno-not-so-natural]

Natio

A quick look at their products and the first thing you'll notice is they use propylene glycol.  Not at all as natural as any claims.

Natural Skin Sheer Foundation 40.0 ml

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS Titanium Dioxide, Octyl Methoxycinnamate INGREDIENTS Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Sorbeth-30, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum), PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Chloride, Phenyl Trimethicone, Talc, Tocopher yl Acetate, Dimethicone, Polysilicone-11, Dimethiconol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance (Parfum). May contain (+/-) Iron Oxides (CI 77891, CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499).

[info from priceline]

Aveda

Control Paste Finishing Paste
Aqueous (Water, Aqua Purificata, Purified) Extracts: Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) (Organically Grown), Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Extract, Organically Grown), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, (Coconut), PEG-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Tribehenin, (Rapeseed), Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, (Coconut), Glycerin, (Coconut), Cetearyl Alcohol (Coconut), Dipalmitoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate (Palm), Fragrance (Parfum), Citral, Geraniol, Linalool, Farnesol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Eugenol, Limonene, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Disodium EDTA, Chlorphenesin, Methylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Annatto (Cl 75120), Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Cl 77891).

[info from EWG] Note: Aveda’s glossary doesn’t show any of these harmful ingredients.

Natures Organics

Skin cleanser
Active Ingredients: TEA-Stearate, Stearic acid, Cetearyl alcohol, Glyceryl stearate, Decyl oleate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium lauroamphoacetate, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Sodium benzoate.

The Body Shop

Strawberry Body Butter
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (She Butter), Cyclomethicone, Glycerin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lanolin Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Fragaria Chiloensis (Strawberry) Seed Oil, Fragaria Ananassa (Strawberry) Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Limonene, Sodium Hydroxide, Cinnamal, Rosemary (Rosmarius Officinalis) Leaf Extract, Linalool, Citral, Caramel, Red 4.


Sorbolene Cream is a petro-chemical or mineral oil based product.

Skin Basics Sorbolene Cream 100g

Ingredients: Purified Water, Paraffin Light Liquid, Paraffin Soft white, Cetomacrogol 1000, Cetostearyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methyl Hydroxybenzoate, Propyl Hydroxybenzoate.

Lush

Use methylparaben, propulparaben, propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate.  Not so good.

Jurlique aren't too bad.  They use small quantities of SD Alcohol 40-A, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate and phenoxyethanol as preservatives ( which have a low/moderate hazard rating of 3-4 out of 10).

Sukin are pretty good, they use small quantities of phenoxyethanol as a preservative.

JOLI

Use natural preservatives made from a blend of herbal extracts.  An effective preservative that is 100% biodegradable and doesn't have the same adverse effects on your skin as other harsh synthetic preservatives.

To be a clear and completely open book - the only product that contains anything remotely iffy is Facial & Body Wash (not made by JOLI) which contains .05% of phenoxyethanol.  All other products do not contain anything synthetic, man made or potentially hazardous.

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