What is natural, anyway?

I get asked a lot if my products are "natural."

My response is always "what do you mean by 'natural?"

I don't answer a question with a question to be flippant or funny. But please allow me to step up onto my soap box for a minute (no pun intended... ok, maybe just a little) to explain myself (I promise I won't use this phrase too often).

In the United States, where I am, the term "natural" is not regulated by any government agency for cosmetics or soap. It's just a marketing term, which means it has no legal meaning - unlike "organic" or "made in the USA" which have requirements to be used legally.

So what's does this mean exactly? It means anyone is able to come up with their own definition of "natural" and use it however they want.

You see the problem with that?

If everyone gets to define it how they want, then it can mean something completely different to two different people. This is why the definition of words matter.

A bill was actually introduced in Congress a few years ago to put legal definitions on "natural" to help with misleading labels but unfortunately it didn’t receive a vote. So the American consumer has to rely on the honesty and integrity of the makers of the products they buy.

I personally define "natural" as "something occurring in nature without inputs or alterations from humans." But that might not be someone else's definition.

And by my very own definition, soap (mine or anybody else's) doesn't qualify as "natural". You can't go pick a soap bar off of a tree in your back yard or grow some candles in your garden (but how cool would that be?!?!).

Soapmaking requires human inputs to get right.

And that's ok.

Not every that's natural is good and not everything artificial is bad.  Most of the colorants I use in my soaps are lab-made micas. Why have I opted for lab-made when micas are naturally occurring, you might wonder? It's because mined micas have a lot of impurities (like lead which is bad) in them AND are mined in countries that use child labor (also pretty bad). I much rather support a US-based company that makes skin-safe (100% lead-fee) with adult, consenting employees.

Because of all that, “natural" is just not a word I use to describe my products. I personally find it to be deceptive marketing, if not complete greenwashing (more on that at a later date).

So should you try my "not-quite-natural" products? I think so, I'm obviously super biased and think you'll love them - but I also have a decent amount of real reviews from real customers who think my products are pretty great too.

Ultimately, I leave it up to you to decide on whether my products are right for you. But I hope I helped provide you with the knowledge to be a more informed buyer in whether you shop with me or another maker. For my products, you can find the ingredients listed on every product page (and label) so you can make an informed purchase, without any surprises.

But, if you have questions, please send me a message and I'll be happy to answer them. 

 - Marissa

Some fun sources for more reading:

Bill introduced to legally define "natural" in the US Cosmetics

National Law Review Article from 2020 About the Act

Another Interesting Article about the Act

FDA on "Organic" Cosmetics