Can I call this "natural"?

[Lady Di]

Can I label my products "all natural," or "natural" if I use fragrance oils (as opposed to essential oils)? -- Dianne

[SoapInTheCity]

I beleive not..........fragrance oils are synthetic and man made in factories, and something that does not come from nature. Please chime in people, if I am wrong or with more information.

[Shani]

Natural vs Not Natural is an ongoing debate. To make it short and sweet, if you are using fo's in your soaps, you can always say they are 98% natural.

HTH

Shani:)

[Lady Di]

This is what I thought. But I go to so many websites and see people advertising that their soaps are "natural," yet they come in various fragrances that (to me) are clearly not essential oils. I'm not trying to open a can of worms... I just wanted to know for myself.

[Carrie]

Correct if I'm wrong, but the word natural is not regulated. Words like Organic are regulated but natural isn't. IMO, legally you could say they were natural but ethically I wouldn't.

[beesweet]

Ditto

[Candle Makin Momma]

You can say All Natural Wax. Mine are 100% Soy Wax.

[ChrisR]

That really is a big debate, but ethically to me it is wrong whether others use it or not. Even 100% soy wax is processed and chemicals are used in the farmers pesticides, which also isn't 'natural'. IMHO it's gimmick statement like 'triple scented'!!

[eva]

Correct if I'm wrong, but the word natural is not regulated. Words like Organic are regulated but natural isn't. IMO, legally you could say they were natural but ethically I wouldn't.

For what I have read it is ok by law to call your product "natural" even if only 1% of the raw materials is natural ie. not manmade. For the right to call your products "organic" it has to be the other way round basically - there are higher standards and it even is not enough that you use "natural" raw materials, even the "natural" materials have to be grown or produced according to some higher standards (environment friendly, no pesticides etc.)

so to make a long story short it is legally ok, but ethics of course is an other matter, because most people don't know the difference between organic and natural. I guess, it would be best to say your product is say 95% natural (or even organic depending) - that leaves some minor % for not natural and you can also feel that you really use the word "natural" in a ethical way as opposed to many manufactures who say their products are natural when they maybe have a tiny drop of smth. that really could qualify...

Best,

Eva

[sockmonkey]

I don't think there is anything wrong with saying

"We use natural ingredients like xxxxxx, xxxx, xxxx, xxxx, xxxx, and add fragrance to complete this blend."

"Our formula is derived from plants found in nature, such as xxx, xxxx, We then add fragrance as a final touch to create a product that is not only mild, but has a pleasing scent as well."

Or some variation of those. That way you get your point across that your product is primarily "natural", but you are not saying that your fragrance is.

In general, I think only people with sensitive skin/allergies, soapmakers, or environmentalists pay particular attention to those type of things. The majority of consumers don't think about stuff like that.