The term ‘natural’ is something that customers of cosmetics fall for, hook, line and sinker, even if they are remotely conscious about the products they use. Ever wondered about the true definition of natural cosmetics? It refers to products with plant-derived ingredients that are devoid of animal by products, alcohol, artificial dyes, synthetic fragrances, foam boosters, thickeners, petroleum products, cheap filler ingredients, preservatives, and not animal tested! Now analyse how many of the hordes of natural products around you actually adhere to these rules!
Law of attraction
The brands are many. Whether it’s a desi Fab India, Biotique, Tarika, Kama, Breathe or Khadi, or international brands for that matter, there is no dearth of ‘natural’ products. What is it that attracts buyers to them? With more and more emphasis being given to the ‘less is more’ concept in make up, users of cosmetics are looking for ways to treat themselves to fewer beauty products and those that are least harsh on their precious skin.
While teenagers turn to natural products out of guilt for using too many products on their skin, members of an older age group look at lessening the effects of ageing from using highly cosmetic products, hence turning to natural products. “I have very sensitive skin that is prone to eruptions. Using natural products helps in avoiding the situation. I find my skin glowing thanks to them,” says Meenakshi Shenoy, a recruitment consultant, who also states the lack of animal testing as one of the reasons that she prefers natural products over the other varieties.
New players
The international market for natural products has opened up in India with the foray of popular brands like Lush and The Body Shop. Priced considerably higher than the products manufactured locally, these continue to be a hit with buyers thanks to their brand image and the customers’ desire to be associated with it.
Sangeeta Kamath, spokesperson, Lush says, “Lush is natural. We use organic raw materials like essential oils and butters in our products. Even the levels of preservatives are very low as compared to other products. Out of the 300 products that we have, 175 don’t even have preservatives in them”.
An official from The Body Shop says, “Our products are naturally-inspired ones and combine traditional wisdom, ancient herbal remedies and modern scientific research. We incorporate natural ingredients as constituents in our products due to their benefits for health and beauty”.
Natural?
“Products that have fruit or plant extracts in them title themselves as ‘natural’. But no product can be purely natural, as there are preservatives that are added to it to increase its shelf life,” says dermatologist Veena Abraham.
“People go in for the ‘natural’ tag on the label and don’t bother to study the list of ingredients that have gone into making the product. Most times, the ingredients mentioned at the back of a bottle may not tally with what the product really contains,” she reveals, also saying that usually, an allergy will manifest itself in 72 hours within the use of a product, but at times, the pitfalls are only evident after prolonged use, and can include pigmentation, dryness of skin, rash among other skin problems.
Preeti Bhavnani, assistant manager, corporate communications, The Bombay Store, says, “We house a whole lot of natural products like Khadi, Kama and Breathe, but we are just going by what the suppliers are telling us. They are supposed to be non toxic and harmless on the skin, but we really can’t vouch for their credibility”. On the other hand, Fab India regional marketing head, Shakti Bhandary says confidently, “Our products which include oils, face packs, scrubs, soaps and shampoos are completely free of chemicals.”
Going by the definition of ‘natural products’ it is difficult to identify a wide range of products that are natural to the core, but the most you can do is to go in for the few ones that are completely free of chemicals, or go with the second best, the ones with the least amount of chemicals. Also be aware of what really has gone into that yummifying bottle of strawberry lotion that you just blew up a small part of your salary on!