organic rip off cosmetics products!

Well its been a full 10 days and I have not blogged. Expanding my market stall range to sell household eco cleaning stuff now. Bio D and also shampoos and stuff from Faith in Nature. And I have managed to get a supplier for fluoride and sls free toothpaste. It was actually quite difficult when I went into it tho cos its suprising how many companies who call themselves natural use nasty petrochemicals in their products. Even some I had respect for until the last few days.

Also something I am finding that really bothers me is the "green " companies who use chemicals that are derived from say coconut oil so start off natural but then they undergo identical chemical processing to petrochemicals ( sometimes using petrochemicals) and they end up with the same chemical structure as a nasty chemical people avoid and they say its natural. How? To me that isnt natural. I think its a con myself.

How can a chemical that is from coconut ( or any other vegetable oil) be better than a identical chemical made in identical process from petrol. Its still the same chemical. It will still have the same or very similar side effects and health hazards whether it came from crude oil or crude coconut oil. Thats just a fact. Its just people percieve this as different. I know I am using an old arguement here but from the opposing side.

Hopefully this will make sense when I write it down. Scientists used to argue that a nature identical compound was as good as a natural compound. For example perfume oils that were synthetic were said as having the same properties as natural ones - generally people go for the natural ones since most people dont believe this. I cannot see how something that has undergone serious chemical changes can be called natural despite it starting life as coconut oil! It may be vegetable in origin but by the time it has been through several chemical modifications it is no longer coconut oil and no longer natural either.

Thats not to say it is bad ( personally I dont like it) but I do not really see how it can be said to be any better than the petrochemical it is replacing. Its not natural whatever anyone says. I am by training and lab experience an organic chemist so it used to be my job to synthesize and to formulate such chemicals. They are just chemicals at the end of the day whether from crude oil or coconut oil and I for one do not want them on my skin!

Anyway many organic health care product companies are using synthetic surfactants derived from petroleum such as olefin sulfonate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium myreth sulfate, and parabens preservatives.

These are just a few ( without naming and shaming since I am a very small company and they could bring me down!). I just wont sell their products!

Examples I have discovered in the last few days are:

From a well known, and highly regarded amonst the vegan community, organic toiletries manufacturer who I considered stocking their products:

olefin sulfonate - can be derived from petroleum or coconut oil

Cocamidopropyl betaine - derived from coconut using petrochemicals.
(ie made from coconut oil reacted with petrochemicals. Not nice!)

"Cocamidopropyl Betaine is classed as a semi-synthetic: definition: Function: Surfactant/Foaming Agent. Origin: Semisynthetic compound derived from coconut oil obtained from the kernels of palm trees. Restrictions & Adverse Effects: may cause contact allergies in some individuals * Reference: Cosmetics Unmasked, Dr Stephen & Gina Antczak"
source:http://www.theremustbeabetterway.co.uk/acatalog/Cocamidopropyl_Betaine.html

Is this really any better than using SLS? Much as I personally dont like SLS its been around for donkeys years and the side effects are well known. It came into its own during WW2 and has been used in pretty much everything since then. Yes it causes allergic reactions. Buit at least we know exactly what it does even down to penetrating a few mm into the skin it comes in contact with and probably causing cancer! We have yet to learn what these so called new (un) natural compounds do!

Not that I want to use SLS either - dont get me wrong but its unrealistic to go round claiming these new (un)natural chemicals are a better option. As far as I can see they certainly should not be in anything calling itself "organic". That is just misleading to the general public who trust these "ethical" companies.

Many of these companies also use synthetic fragrances and flavours. Another con!

I also accidentally bought some vegan ( again a well known manufacturer) face packs. Unfortunately - me being a pauper! - will have to carry on selling these but unless they turn out to be seriously popular I wont be replacing them. They contain artificial colours, sls, flavours/fragrances etc. Again not nice.

Upside is now hopefully have a great wholesale supplier of veggie/vegan products many of which ARE natural and you can order online. I was a bit worried when I came to pay and the form asked for a VAT number and I am not registered but when I rang them they said it will be fine so hopefully it will be since I urgently need some more stock. I am now considering doing refills for eg. BioD washing up liquid too so have to check out with trading standards if I am allowed to do this! I reckon its a great idea but maybe the rules say you are not allowed.

Incidentally both of these above examples are from manufacturers of whom I have myself bought products and the first one is actually very upmarket.

Anyone wanting futher info please email me and I will let you know the details and what companies but no way can I afford to post this!