The truth about 100% natural
The truth about 100% natural
These slogans have much more in it about natural products then it seems. That’s why we would like to share some of our knowledge so that you have more information to make the best choices.
The claims we see here don’t mean that the products involved are safe for you and your skin. It merely means that it claims using or not using this type of ingredients. For example; 100% vegetarian only says that no animal fats or other animal parts have been used. It does not say that it is free from toxic ingredients and paraben. And using 100% natural ingredients just claims that the natural part of the ingredient list is 100% natural, not the whole recipe. Green Tea extract should be green tea extract in that recipe and not a blend with other tea. But again; we are only talking about one ingredient in that case.
Point is that marketers from big companies have the aim and budget to let you believe that there products are natural. It is their market message, their call to action. The goal they have is to produce profit for the shareholders with the right marketing mix. But for you as a consumer there is no guarantee that you really buy a safe & natural product.
According to the US Food & Drug administration a product may be called ‘natural’ if it contains at least 30% natural ingredients!? Also they have no definition for the term ‘organic’. That means a perfect playground for marketers. So you need to be alert on buying products that claim to be natural. Many times a good guideline can be if an ingredient list is very long with a lot of names that you hardly can pronounce. And when a product mentions to have 100% natural ingredients then it does not mean that it is 100% natural but the natural ingredients that are used are so. Maybe the percentage of the total even sticks to 5% or less….
Looking closer at the ingredient list we see sometimes the first ones that are mentioned are very expensive ones like f.e. grapefruit extract/essential oil. Apart from other reasons then economical profit there is no valid reason to do so and it is misleading for you as a consumer. A fair trading company like ekoko lists the ingredients by percentage top down. A small knowledge but also legally supported and a good way for you to judge the quality. You have a right to get the best and safest product for your money and that is by far not always the most expensive one. Let life surprise you sometimes and discover these better products at lower prices. Does that not make everybody happy?
As for all kind off liquids like shampoo, body wash, body gel and other it remains very difficult to make a 100% natural product at affordable prices. If you think logic then you know that water and oils do not mix by nature. So you need emulsifiers and stabilizers to get that stabilized structure. The highest percentage of natural ingredients is mostly around 90-95%, as the ones of ekoko are 92%. If you want it different then prepare yourself keeping the shampoo/body wash in the refrigerator.
Dry products like soapbars, shampoo-bars and dried powder products however can easily be made 100% natural without complex chemicals. And in the case you need to use a non-natural ingredient for some reason there is always a choice between chemicals that are not harmful, less harmful or toxic ones. We at ekoko will never go for the last ones, even if that increases our cost price significant.
Among products that are 100% natural it is also wise to look trough at the components used. Is it made in a professional way, are the products tested? Many times there is a lack of this, simply because the seller is impatient and wants to sell now, emphasize customers and convincing them with advantages of Vietnam grown ingredients like beet extract, green tea extract, coriander oil etc. But without any test you bear the risk that you spent your money and waste it on a inadequate quality. Bad luck? Yes but in the case of cosmetics and food it also can lead to health problems so be sure that the product you buy is the right one and looked trough by experts and government.
As everyone needs to learn trough life we do not reach perfection the same day, however the first thing needed is honesty and fairness. Not only to ourselves but especially to the customers we serve. You deserve to be treated well and remain happy with the things you spend your money on, not having to question things. We at ekoko are convinced of that, do you agree as well?