A Natural Classification System
Natural can mean different things to many people:
In the natural skincare world it is quite controversial - because there are no set rules for natural there's no regulatory board for it. That’s why there are different shades of natural.
Natural Resource that retains its natural structure and does not change the chemistry of the ingredient eg: Oils, Waxes, Butters (anhydrous - no water content). This is as natural as it comes - like picking off a tree.
Naturally Derived these are functional ingredients. To formulate a cream or lotion an emulsifier is used to mix oil in water. These ingredients can be derived from nature eg: Olive Oil.
Nature Identical is synthetically processed in a lab with an identical chemical structure as made in nature eg: Citric Acid (pH regulator). Citric Acid is used world-wide in food, cosmetics and skincare products. Because so much of it is used daily it would not be sustainable to grow enough lemons to use the peel for this ingredient.
In summary if you are wanting a 100% Natural Resource it would have to be anhydrous (no water content), combining oils, waxes and butters.
If you are looking for a cream or lotion with active ingredients it could be a combination of Natural Resource and Naturally Derived.
Natural glycol (plant based) offers you the ability to have a cleansing product with soft soaping, along with a beautiful aroma plus the benefits of essential oils.
Of course you can have a product that has all three, consisting of 100% Organic (oils, butters, wax), Naturally Derived (emulsifier-olive) and Nature Identical (citric acid) to have the perfect blend of moisturiser/cream that you are looking for.
These are just a few examples and there are many more so I hope this clarifies for you the differences between all three Shades of Natural.
This subject is always a hot topic for discussion and each person has to decide what they want their natural product to achieve.
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