What Does "Natural" really means in US skin care products?

The word "Natural" is simply misleading and can be used by any company simply to promote the product. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't not regulate the word “Natural” on cosmetics and Skin care products. It is Buyer Beware market. Terms like "natural," "earth-friendly" and "nontoxic" are also not regulated, and companies are able to use these terms at will. It is up to the consumer to differentiate marketing from reality by refusing to buy products that use misleading claims.

If you see a product that is labeled as natural it means some of the ingredients come from plant. If it is labeled as “100 % natural” it means all the ingredients come from the plant. I want to make it very clear it doesn't mean it is 100% safe.


There's also little real evidence showing that natural cosmetics are any better for your skin or hair than conventional ones. For people with sensitive skin, synthetic preservatives can be irritating, so that's one reason to go natural. But it's mostly a matter of preference: Some people believe that "synthetic" means "unhealthy." Others believe that "natural" doesn't necessarily mean "safe," and they trust the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (which reviews and assesses the safety of cosmetics) to keep unsafe products off the shelves.

This brings us to a major sticking point with natural cosmetics: the labeling. In cosmetics, not all labels are created equal. Cosmetics labeling isn't as tightly regulated as food labeling. It's perfectly legal for a company to label its shampoo "botanical" if it has synthetic aloe fragrance added. The smell of aloe, after all, is "botanical." Other labels like "nature-inspired" and "natural" don't actually mean anything concrete, either. Some "natural" products do contain natural ingredients; others don't. "Natural" isn't a legally binding designation.

So next time when you pickup a natural cosmetic or skin care product, please make sure that you read the whole ingredient list.There are lot of  very good natural products that are safe not only externally but also internally. It comes down to caveat emptor.

Sources:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/skin-and-makeup/natural-cosmetics2.htm

Food and Drug Administration