Dr Barbara Olioso's Blog

Petrochemicals, what are they these days?

I was speaking to a client of mine who was telling me about her intention of avoiding petrochemicals in cosmetic products. I know that there are ingredients from petrochemical sources that are also natural in their molecular structure, so what is a petrochemical these days?

If the molecular structure is found in nature but it is man made and petroleum sources are used, can you still call it natural or you are going to call it petrochemical or both? This is very confusing and I have to say I do not have an answer for this modern hybrid. Perhaps pseudonatural could do.. Any suggestions?

An example of these type of compounds is Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (approved in organic standards)

And you also have cosmetic ingredients that are partially natural and partially synthetic. How to call them? Seminatural or semipetrochemical?

If you feel creative drop us a line...

The Cosmos standard finally out

At the end of last month the organic harmonised standard came out. Six European organic certification bodies got together to create a double standard, one for organic and one for natural cosmetics, that hopefully is going to make clearer to define what organic and natural is in the beauty industry. The standard is available Here My opinion is that the most positive aspects are a more cosmetic approach to the standard, an easier way to calculate the organic percentage of a finished product and a clearer idea of natural derived ingredients accepted by the standard. I believe the main challenges of the standard are the use of hydrogenated ingredients, the lack of pesticides analysis, an ingredients positive list and a clear position on palm oil derivatives. What is your opinion about it?

Date Check

You might have noticed a new symbol that has appeared on cosmetic products recently: a jar with a number and the letter M. This symbol is a legal requirement for products with a shelf life over 36 months, indicating the  number of months to use the product by once you  open it (PAO: period after opening).
If a product has a shelf life that is less than 36 months it will have to display its best before, but no PAO.
Natural products tend to have a shorter shelf life and therefore they will not have a PAO but a best before

Organic Certification, time for analysis

The American Organic Consumers Association has recently published the report on the chemical investigation performed on 100 organic products certified by the USDA. The results showed 47 out of 100 products were positive for 1,4 dioxane, despite the organic certification.
This shows how organic rules and standards need to be implemented with chemical analysis to ensure the absence of synthetic chemicals, such as pesticides and fertilisers residues.
To know more about the report click here or you can listen to the interview with the Organic Consumers directors on here

Is natural safe?

Even if a product is natural, safety and quality can still be an issue. In a way a natural ingredient is more “alive” than synthetic materials and more prone to microbial contamination and oxidation.

Micro organisms growing naturally in decomposition processes are natural but can be harmful to humans, some essential oils can cause skin rashes, natural heavy metals are poisonous and there is circumstantial evidence linking Aluminium to Alzheimer’s disease.

Therefore even if dealing with a natural product the microbial content has still to be within safe limits, the state of oxidation of vegetable oils and essential oils have to be checked, and the amount used of essential oils has to be within safety margins. This leads us to the point that despite we associate nature with trust, we need still to be aware that nature can still make harmful substances and that extra care has to be taken when manufacturing and handling natural materials. 

When buy a natural cosmetic check how long its shelf life is and how old it is.