 Is "Natural" Naturally Better?
In two words...not necessarily! At Moon-Haven we love to use ‘Natural’ ingredients in our formulas.
Where there is a
choice between a natural plant or mineral based product and a man made
alternative, we will choose the natural– with all things being equal.
There are some cases though where natural is not necessarily better or even appropriate. Take the case of ‘Natural’ preservatives. There
still no commercially effective and odour appropriate “natural’
preservative available. Several international cosmetic companies are
throwing untold funds at R&D ii this area.
At first we all thought Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) was it, but further studies revealed that the “antimicrobial
activity being attributed to grapefruit seed extract is merely due to
the synthetic preservative agents contained within.” (Pharmazie. 1999 Jun;54(6):452-6.) Very disappointing.
A new botanical based preservative
Biopein is showing some promise, but early testing and reports are that
the finished product’s shelf life is still relatively short (under 3
months) and the scent imparted is difficult to mask. There is some comfort in the fact that research is continuing. At
Moon-Haven we will continue to search for an effective natural
preservative...watch this space... for when we do, we will shout it
from the rooftops!
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