Shame on me! Read Your Labels...
I've said it before: I'm a huge proponent of reading your lables - ALWAYS read your labels! Apparently I need to learn to follow my own advice - because I was hoodwinked by "allnaturalese", you know, that language that just assures you that this stuff is as natural as God's green earth?
I am a part of a wholesale group where I can buy a variety of all natural products at 20% off... very cool, very needed in this financial climate. The problem is, I'm buying out of a catalog, and the ingredient list isn't always visible. Now of course, I can go to the website and check it out, but this last round of orders caught me at a busy time and I didn't research the product. Shame on me.
While looking for an all-natural toothpaste, I came across one called "Herbal Vedic" herbal toothpaste. How much more natural can it be? It's both herbal and ayurvedic! I was wrong. When my shipment came, I pulled out the toothpaste and casually glanced at the ingredient list, just to see what herbs were in it... and what did I see? Parabens! Yep - right there, looking up at me was the word "methylparaben".
Parabens are a family of toxic preservatives found in a host of personal products. They've been linked to breast cancer and abnormal estrogenic activity. For a company claiming to be 'natural' - I have to say I was suprised.
That'll teach me, eh?
3 comments:
I HATE it when that happens! I bought a facial moisturizer recently because it was by a well-known natural and organic company. It was not cheap. When I got home and looked it up at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ I found out that it rated very high in toxicity. I felt like I got ripped off! I wrote to the company and they sent me a bunch of coupons that I used to buy other products of theirs that rated less toxic. It's like wolves wearing sheep's clothing, isn't it, when a supposedly natural company sells this crap?
I know, it really makes you feel betrayed... companies like that are supposed to be upholding a standard, ya know?
The term 'natural' does not necessarily mean 'coming from mother earth', so be careful :)
Also, the use of the word organic is not as simple as it sounds. Only a product certified by an organic certification body can be called 100% organic. There are various certifying bodies in different countries that have their own standards to determine what would constitute an organic product and only then can they carry an organic certification logo. Look for that logo :)
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