Definitions
Favourite words, like “natural”, “organic”, “no nasties” and “chemical-free”, are often used to sell cleaning and personal care products because it makes them sound good or more enticing. When you hear those “power” words it’s important to check what the business using them really means, you’ll be surprised.
On this page we define the following words and terms…
- Hazardous
- GHS
- Dangerous Goods
- Nasties
- Natural
- Organic
- Fragrance-free
- Chemical-free
- Greenwashing
- Sulphate vs Sulfate
- Cosmetics
- Parabens
- Hypoallergenic
- Plant-based
- Toxin-Free and Non-Toxic
These are our definitions…
Hazardous
We define a product or ingredient as hazardous when a hazardous classification is made according to the criteria of the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). To learn more click here… https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1702/ghs-information-sheet-23052016.pdf
GHS
The United Nations created GHS (Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals) to be a single, global method to:
- classify chemicals and
- communicate chemical hazards through labels and safety data sheets (SDS).
Dangerous goods
Dangerous goods are substances and articles that have explosive, flammable, toxic, infectious or corrosive properties. They pose a risk to public safety, property or the environment. You can learn more about the Australian Dangerous Goods code here… https://www.ntc.gov.au/codes-and-guidelines/australian-dangerous-goods-code
Nasties
Nasties is an unregulated term used by many product marketers without a proper definition. When you see this term look deeper. Nasties can mean a dangerous good (DG), hazardous accourding to GHS, any product that can cause allergic reactions or physical ailments, it can also describe a product that has a detrimental affect on the environment either in it’s use or in the production process. By any of those definitions, there are many “nasty” ingredients used to make so called “natural”, “organic”, “no nasties” and “chemical free” products available in Australia today.
Natural
This may well be one of the most overused and deceitful terms used used in the promotion of skincare, personal care and cleaning products.
By definition, natural means… existing in or derived from nature; not made or caused by humankind.
So that means ingredients or chemicals that are made using natural ingredients are not natural because they have been made with intervention by humankind.
Others may have a lower bar and claim natural means the product contains no artificial ingredients and is only minimally processed.
For example, should an essential oil be called natural? If a human process is applied to the natural ingredient can the resulting product still be called natural? You can decide.
Be cautious of companies that use the word natural. The word natural doesn’t seem to mean much anymore. Fortunately there is more pressure on regulators to clamp down on the improper use of this word in Australia especially when it comes to skincare and personal care products.
Organic
Australian Organic Limited (AOL) (https://austorganic.com/) is the leading organic industry body representing certifiers and certified operators in Australia. Generally speaking, they define organic to mean:
- No synthetic chemicals, pesticides or herbicides
- Made without artificial colours or preservatives
- Livestock are free to roam
- No routine use of antibiotics
- Genetically Modified (GM) ingredients are prohibited
While Organic Standards may incorporate strict guidelines and requirements be aware that the use of the word organic is liberally used in some marketing and is not required by law to meet the definition set out by industry bodies such as AOL. To learn more about the Australian Certified Organic Standard go here… https://austorganic.com/industry/certification-and-standards/standards/acos/
Fragrance-free
Fragrance free refers to a product characteristic that means no synthetic, natural or nature identical fragrances are added. This includes fragrances that are directly added and those that have been added to other raw ingredients. Often the fragrance-free term is used without considering the fragrances that may have been added to the raw ingredients.
Chemical-free
Everything is a chemical. Even water is a chemical (H2O). So some people say chemical-free actually means there are no nasty chemicals in the product. Then the question is, what do you define as a nasty chemical and why don’t you say ‘nasty chemical-free’. Chemical-free sounds dishonest to us.
Here’s a great article that explains this marketing trick… https://xo2.com.au/blog/articles-2/do-chemical-free-cleaning-solutions-actually-exist-what-is-a-chemical-anyway-280
Greenwashing
According to Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator, “Greenwashing is the practice of misrepresenting the extent to which an entity, product or strategy is environmentally friendly, sustainable, or ethical.” https://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/Infohub/Markets/Supporting-market-integrity/greenwashing-is-a-government-compliance-priority
Sulphate vs Sulfate
Sulfate and sulphate are the same substance and both English terms. Sulfate is predominantly used in American English (en-US). Sulphate is predominantly used in British English (en-GB).
Cosmetics
Acording to the ACCC (Australian competition and Consumer Commission), under the mandatory standard for ingredients labelling on cosmetics, cosmetic products are defined as substances or preparations intended for placement in contact with any external part of the body, including the mouth and teeth, for the purpose of:
- altering the odours of the body
- changing the appearance of the body
- cleansing the body
- maintaining the body in good condition
- perfuming the body
- protecting the body.
For sunscreen products and other excluded goods you should refer to the Therapeutic Goods Administration website for information about the requirements.
Parabens
Parabens are a group of synthetic chemicals commonly used as preservatives since the 1920s. They are used in a wide range of personal care products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Their job is to keep a product safe from bacteria, mould and yeast while extending shelf life.
While effective, there are serious concerns associated with parabens. Parabens can act a little bit like hormones in our bodies, messing with the natural balance. Some studies have even found parabens in breast cancer tumors. Parabens can also irritate your skin.
While some might say the science is not yet conclusive on whether parabens are good, bad or somewhere inbetween, many consumers prefer to play it safe and go for paraben-free products.
Hypoallergenic
Hypoallergenic is simply a way of saying that a product (or service) has a decreased or lower than average tendency to cause an allergic reaction. It can also just mean a product contains less allergens. So I guess that begs the question, less allergens than what?
Hypoallergenic is not a regulated term and is certainly not an allergy-free guarantee.
Plant-based
Studies show that consumers prefer the term “plant-based” over “vegan” or meat-free. The term “plant-based” started in the healthy food industry but unfortunately marketers of personal care and cleaning products have got hold of this term and really lowered the bar.
The dictionary definition of plant-based is: made or derived from plants. But, product manufacturers have now stretched the definition to say that a product is plant-based if at least a single ingredient has any kind of link originally to a plant before processing and becoming the ingredient. References to coconut, sugar, soap nuts and more are everywhere. Yes, they may have been ingredients of ingredients but plenty of processing has happened since way back then. Treat this term with caution even though it sounds great.
Toxin-Free and Non-Toxic
When you see these terms it is important that you do no accept them on face value. The reason for that is there are several different definitions used and what you think they mean may not be correct.
At Naturopath Recommended all our ingredients in their raw state are toxin-free and non-toxic.
We define toxin free as a product that ONLY contains ingredients that do not have any toxicity disclosed on their SDS (Safety Data Sheet).
And we define non-toxic as a finished product that does not have any toxicity disclosed on it’s SDS (Safety Data Sheet).
To summarise, we define Toxin-Free as referring to the individual ingredients in their raw state that are contained in a product and Non-Toxic as referring to the finished product not being classed as toxic. Non-Toxic is a lower bar because toxic ingredients can still be used but under certain thresholds so the toxicty information is not triggered on the safety data sheet.
BUT, you will visit many health food stores in Australia that promote ‘Toxic’ products as being ‘Toxin-Free’. This is most commonly explained away due to different and very creative definitions. For example, one could say a ‘Toxin-Free’ product contains no harmful chemicals but, what do they define as harmful? This is a very loose and subjective definition.
A very good example of this are essential oils, yes , even orgain ones. Most essential oils are classed as toxic to some degree according to their individual GHS safety data sheet. That’s why we do not use essential oils. Not even Lemon Myrtle or Lavender!
The best way to learn about toxicity is to look at the individual Safety Data Sheet for each ingredient at their full concentration. The toxicity information is in Sections 11 and 12. And if a supplier does not offer a complete ingredient list and full access to the individual Safety Data Sheets of each ingredient used in their product they are probably hiding something. Buyer beware.