What is Natural? A Deep Dive Into Natural Beauty Products
Natural Beauty Products: How Do You Know What’s Really “Natural?”
When we think of natural beauty products, we look towards nature. Nature to us encompasses vast meadows of native plants with bees buzzing and sustainable farms where crops are grown while replenishing the soil and supporting the local ecosystems. We think of plants grown and harvested at their peak and pure oils extracted using the cleanest techniques, like distilling.
Natural, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, is “existing in nature; not made or caused by humans.” Unfortunately, today, the word “natural” is stretched far beyond what exists in nature, in its simplest and purest forms. As we’ve seen a growing number of products on shelves bearing the word “natural,” our skepticism of the word has also grown.
Mass-Created Fragrances Can Corrupt “Natural” Beauty Products
Since crafting natural beauty products is our expertise, we are going to look at natural in terms of fragrances. On one end of the spectrum lies synthetic fragrances made in labs and artificially created using chemicals not found in nature. On the other are pure essential oils derived from plants. In between those two lies the gray area coined as “natural fragrances.”
Lab-Created Fragrances: Are They Really Natural?
Fragrances that are considered natural can be formulated using isolates of the chemical components of either plants or animals. In a lab, chemists single out organic chemical components of a plant from the leaves, flowers, roots, fruit, or even the fat in an animal and use those isolated components to formulate different natural scents. The chemical is characterized as natural as long as it is sourced from a natural origin. Since a lot of manipulation goes into creating some natural fragrances, there is a debate as to whether they should indeed be called natural.
Only a small percentage of all plants can produce essential oils that can be harvested. For this reason, most companies rely on natural fragrances from chemicals derived from plants or manufactured chemicals to create synthetic fragrances. Ever wonder what plant they extract “ocean breeze,” “fresh cut grass,” and “morning dew” from? Chances are that scents like those are made from mainly synthetic sources or chemicals found in plants that had to be manipulated.
But, why are fragrances so bad? They’re linked to a host of health problems, including cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders, and allergic reactions. That’s why it’s so important to choose products with natural ingredients. Making small changes in the products you use every day can have a profound impact on your health.
How to Find Natural Beauty Products Without Harmful Fragrances
If you’re looking to remove harmful chemicals from your beauty routine, look for companies that are dedicated to providing pure products. Using essential oils and raw plant components to scent all our products is our philosophy, but it does have some limitations. While the list of essential oils to use in soaps is short, sticking to a smaller list of products made with simple, quality, and beneficial ingredients is more important to us than having an endless supply of artificial scents. Our philosophy has always been simpler is better.
Some companies utilize the phrase “natural fragrances” and use what we deem to be the most natural ingredients, such as pure essential oils. They may choose not to list the blend of oils used to keep their recipes proprietary. While we have spent countless hours perfecting our recipes, we proudly showcase all our ingredients. Being an informed consumer is essential nowadays, but how can one be informed if information is left out? With a growing number of allergies and intolerances, having transparency on product labels is critical.
In a world with artificial scents, synthetic dyes, and other toxic ingredients, sticking to what’s closest to nature is the best we can offer. We promise never to use the blanket term “natural” on our ingredient lists and genuinely stick to the closest to nature we can get without shipping you an entire plant. After all, the root of the word natural is nature, and what can be better than sticking to our roots?