Crafty1_AJ Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 How can sellers claim to have a 100% "natural" product that has FO's in it?! Not to mention dye? Ugh... Sorry for the rant. I normally put on my big girl panties and deal with this sort of thing by just brushing it off. Must be tired from prep for an upcoming show, because it just really got under my skin this morning. LOL So, anyone picked some yummy FO off a tree today? Back to my normally cheerful self...ROFL 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darbla Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Marketing is a murky business. Either they don't expect any agency to question them on that, or their claim is that the part that is natural is 100% natural. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Used to drive me batty. Almost as batty as those sellers who try to "educate" me as a customer. just let me be happy about the shopping experience and feel good about what I like. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerven Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 That's like when a business claims something along the lines of "100% natural coconut/soy wax" and leaves out the other goodies. Is the composition of that wax 100% natural coconut and nothing else or is the coconut portion 100% natural coconut and the rest is not natural? Not that hydrogenated coconut oil is a naturally occurring product... Just give me the ingredient list and I'll decide whether or not I consider it "natural". Stop with the semantics and wordplay. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaughtyNancy Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 It only irks me if I start thinking about the average customer not knowing any better, and losing business as a result of it when I am trying to sell some stuff here and there. Myself, I don't make all natural products, but I don't claim to make all natural products, either. I'm very open with potential buyers about what's in my products, so they can make empowered decisions. Some people are like me and don't care, but for those who do care, I would never want to leave them feeling betrayed. Meanwhile other sellers are getting hundreds to thousands of sales with items like solid perfume made with "vanilla essential oil" or.. they will have a $5 1oz solid perfume made with sandalwood "EO" and I'm just like... I have a definite ornery streak in me that sometimes fantasizes about introducing a men's cologne made with REAL GASOLINE ESSENTIAL OIL before I get over it and move on with my day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shari Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 Yes, I see this all the time. I try to educate my customers or potential customers when they ask if my products are all natural. I make zero claims, I'm up front and honest. I see so many stating all natural and making claims to heal, cure etc and the hazards of colorants that aren't natural (ha ha) and FO's. That makes me nuts and sometimes angry. As they are duping their customers. I have a good customer base at my shows and online so I try not to let it bother me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darbla Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 You know, we could probably legitimately claim our wax is all natural. After all, it comes from decayed dinosaurs, right? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barefootgirl Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 "Natural" is a unregulated word. It's more less a marketing gimmick imo. Foods that list natural I tend to steer away from. I'm an avid label reader so see through that bs. Although I know this has nothing to do with food it reminds me of that. Years ago I did research on this same thing and questioned how food can be labeled as such. The end result was pretty much what my first two sentences here say. I'm the same with wax items..,if I see claims it's organic, natural or other crap like the sort it really makes me discredit the quality of the product in my eyes. It's like a small family ran fruit stand saying their fruits are organic...highly unlikely they financed the certification to be organic. They might be just as great and grown under eco friendly conditions but they aren't organic since there is more to it than just letting nature do it's thing or by the help of pure nature. Sorry for the rant and going off track there. It's a pet peeve of mine lol. I think people assume micas and even pigment colors they use are natural. They aren't generally since they are lab created pigments plus micas usually are coated with synthetic dye to color them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bia Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 this is a great point. I'm selling my candles in brasil and a store salesperson starts telling me the soy candles they sell are "all soy". I lightly mention that if they were they should say "100% soy", which are so rare to come by especially in a small candle market like brazil (aside from religious candles). She then says "its really bad to burn petroleum in the home". she was so convinced she had accurate information she was snobby about it. I just kept quiet and felt sorry for her lack of knowledge. Which leads to my question. I use IGI 6006 which I have heard (but not confirmed) is 70% paraffin and 30% soy. Since there is no regulation in this market, I could technically say my candle is a soy candle...right? I like to say it's a blend but no one really knows what that means here and nor do they know they ARE buying a BLEND when they think they're buying "pure" soy. I just don't want to lose sales because of peoples blindsided ignorance. What do you all think? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonshine Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) You should educate people on the facts of paraffin imo I am not one that agrees with misleading people on what they are buying with creative labeling even though technically you can and people do - people have sensitivities to soy, paraffin or palm and I feel you shouldn't "hide" what your selling - if people look like they are turning up their nose to parasoy explain the facts to them- give handouts on your product with true proven information - paraffin is not any worse to burn than any other wax but if you hide it has paraffin and someone has an allergy you find yourself in deep water along with bad reviews and word of mouth You could use soy blend like many others and it's then obvious it contains something else and people like me that want to know what they are burning will surely ask ....that's just my opinion and I hope that helps some I do believe your ratios are correct on that wax 70/30 Edited January 16, 2018 by moonshine 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shari Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 I agree with moonshine. I don't agree with misleading customers. Besides, in the long run it could hurt your business. What if someone has an allergic reaction? I have some customers ask if my products are all natural and I'm honest with them. I tell them they are as natural as I can get them. I don't make candles but B&B products. I use food grade lye and the best ingredients I can. But no, not all natural as I use mostly FO and micas. I let them decide for themselves if they want to then purchase my stuff. I hate seeing all the misleading sellers out there when I know they are lying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 On 12/1/2017 at 8:21 AM, Darbla said: You know, we could probably legitimately claim our wax is all natural. After all, it comes from decayed dinosaurs, right? Parrafin does, but not soy. Or other waxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 I don't know how I missed this thread. The fact that (as others have said) buzz words such as "all natural" or "organic" have become synonymous with "Good" drives me crazy. Whenever someone tries to tell me that all natural is better for you than synthetic I tell them I would much rather drink a glass of Kool-Aid or a soda pop, than eat a handful of arsenic, hemlock, or walk in poison ivy/oak. They usually begrudgingly get the point. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 If they really want to spli hairs, in chemistry, organic means chemical compounds with carbon in them. Paraffin contains carbon. Ergo, paraffin is organic. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerven Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Isn't paraffin a binary compound, making it inorganic? I avoid "organic", "natural", and whatever else, choosing to read the labels myself. Some of the fault in misunderstanding falls on the consumer. Some (a lot) falls on the producer. It's best to be knowledgeable and use a bit of common sense. But, to split a hair or two... I'd say that organically produced - as in a product of living matter naturally/biologically programmed to create the substance - oils are higher on the "organic" scale than paraffin, a product of chemistry and not so much biology... but then we get into a topic that draws connections between biology, chemistry, organics, and such... paraffin must be organic because, despite being a product of naturally occurring chemistry, petroleum still required matter to live at some point... but then it's brought up that petroleum/paraffin is the product of -dead- biological matter and so it's not derived from living matter, making it nonorganic... not to mention abiogenic petroleum... and blah, blah, blah. I give up. It's futile. Can't be bothered. Attention span now at minimal. I'd like to see "renewable" used more often on products. Maybe even "biological" or just a plain explanation stating what's "natural" and why. I'm a little iffy on the natural thing... To me, natural means unprocessed and in the form that nature intended. I can't go out, squeeze an orange, and have blue orange juice - that's not natural, oranges don't produce blue juice. I guess it's a semantics thing. The orange juice could be natural. The blue dye could be natural. Therefore, the blue orange juice would be "natural". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darbla Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 If we go all the way down to the bottom, everything's natural. We never create anything that doesn't start with components already there. We came up with different ways of combining parts and pieces, but the basic bits are from nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah S Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 I try not to worry myself too much about other's claims. My products are mostly not going to appeal to the "natural" crowd anyway. I do have people that ask me to make them B&B products that are "more natural" than what they get at the big box stores. When I dig a little deeper, it usually turns out that they want a Lush or Aveda type dupe, and don't actually care what's in it. That I can handle. 😆 Only twice have I ever had anyone ask me about soy candles. One lady asked me if I used soy. I replied "No, I really like paraffin candles so that's what I make." She said "Good, me too!" 😄 Another time a guy asked me if my candles were soy. Turned out he was looking for a massage candle. Granted, I have a very, very small customer base and not a lot of time in the biz, but I really feel, like others have stated, if you have a great product and know how to market it, you will be in a position to just let wild claims roll off your back like water off a duck. Here's my dilemma: I do not make natural products. I do not make any claims about anything I make, other than it smells good, and will make your person or the air around your person smell good. My best friend, bless her big southern heart, is all over FB telling her friends that I make all natural products, her skin is so amazingly soft, I cured her daughter's acne, etc, etc. I know she is doing this because she loves me and she wants to drum up business for me. And I don't want to hurt her feelings by telling her to stop... But I don't want to misrepresent either! Ack!! I should just talk to her shouldn't I? I really think she (and many other people) automatically equate "handmade" with "all natural". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 17 hours ago, Sarah S said: I don't want to hurt her feelings by telling her to stop... But I don't want to misrepresent either! Ack!! I should just talk to her shouldn't I? I really think she (and many other people) automatically equate "handmade" with "all natural". My aunt did this same thing with my stuff. I did let her know that I actually don't make all natural stuff, and if I made claims about it healing anything, or not being what it was I could be in big trouble with the Feds, and possibly go to prison (yes, I had to be dramatic with her because nothing else would work) so she apologized and then just started telling people I make lovely products. I don't think I hurt her feelings because I did put the onus on me. I honestly think she simply misunderstood and thought anyone making homemade products MUST be making all natural products. Probably what your friend is under the impression of as well. If it were me, I'd try to gently tell her that it's not true but don't really bluntly point out that she is wrong. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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