How to check product labels when shopping naturally

--An Easier way to Finding nontoxic or organic products
 

It is quite a task going into the shopping isle and having to read each and every one of the product labels; and it gets even harder when manufacturers are crafty at making products with hidden chemicals that could be harmful while they make it sound pretty okay. An Inconvenient thing it is to have to screen every small print of each product especially when you’re in a rush to get done with shopping and head home for dinner. Of-course you and I want to spend our money on products that are healthy and effective but Trade secrecy laws enable manufacturers to protect their formulas by grouping specific ingredients under generic terms like “Parfum”, “Fragrance” or “natural colorings” which makes it hard for the consumer to distinguish safe products from toxic products. So with this in mind how can we avoid toxic chemicals without wasting our time or money on useless products that contain potentially harmful chemicals?

Hint 1: First thing to do will be to check the ingredients by process of elimination and second thing to do will be to check the claims on the product package like the following claim labels below:

v  Paraben-free (hair care and skin care)

v  Fragrance-free or an organic natural fragrance substitute for e.g. some products contain chamomile, Lavender as fragrance but it should come from a pure source and not be an adulterated type of fragrance.

v  Free of petrochemicals (skin care and hair care)

v  SLS-free (contains no sodium laureate sulfate especially shampoo, toothpaste and anything that foams.)

v  Talc-free (cosmetics)

v  Cruelty-free

The third thing to check for, will be certification claims in regards to how the product was manufactured and where it is made, for example

v  Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainable products and trade. Fair trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seek greater equity in international trade. It offers better trading conditions to producers, and secures the rights of, marginalized producers and workers. It helps to ensure producers of those products are well treated in regards to price, social and environmental standards. Fair trade handcrafted products includes coffee, chocolate, tea, honey, wine, bananas, cocoa, sugar, gold, cotton, flowers, and fresh fruit. Fair trade products are traded and marketed either by an "MEDC supply chain" whereby products are imported and/or distributed by fair trade organizations (commonly referred to as alternative trading organizations) or by "product certification" whereby products complying with fair trade specifications are certified by them indicating that they have been produced, traded, processed and packaged in accordance with fair trade standards.

USDA http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fsis_Recalls/index.asp  

v  USDA stands for The United States Department of Agriculture. It is a central federal department whose initial role was to provide the farmers of America with a source of knowledge about farming, a place where farmers could find general information. This role continued until the Depression years when, due to low prices for agricultural commodities, the USDA initiated for the first time support of commodity prices and farm income. It has broad authority to address agricultural issues, to undertake a variety of studies, research, and investigations and to engage in other information-gathering activities. The USDA works in partnership with state, county, municipal, and tribal governments to use a range of tools to protect the consuming public and farmers and ranchers.

v  ECOCERT (Europe)—is one of the leading organic certification marks internationally, enjoying a good reputation and trusted by both consumers and the organic industry.  ECOCERT certificate is a guarantee to world major markets including EU, USA, JAPAN etc.

v  Soil Association (UK) is a membership charity campaigning for planet-friendly food and farming. They hold a belief that there is connection between soil, food, the health of people and the health of the planet.

v  BDIH (Germany) is the Association of Industries and Trading Firms for pharmaceuticals, health care products (cosmetics and natural cosmetics), food supplements and personal hygiene products (www.bdih.de).

v  AIAB (Italy)

Federal law requires that ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration,
Beginning with the most active ingredient and the first ingredient is typically water or and oil while fragrances & colors comes last on product ingredient label. 

Also some claims like “Hypoallergenic”, “Allergy-tested”, “Safe for Sensitive Skin”, “Ultra-fine” or “micro-fine” are Vague, confusing and it is not validated by the manufacturers through the FDA. "There are no Federal standards or definitions that govern the use of the term "hypoallergenic." The term means whatever a particular company wants it to mean. Manufacturers of cosmetics labeled as hypoallergenic are not required to submit substantiation of their hypoallergenic claims to FDA".

Ultra Fine or micro-fine means nanoparticles have been used, it doesn’t mean anything safe, there isn’t any labeling requirements in the U.S for nanoparticle ingredients so we do not have a way of knowing how safe they are, so it best you avoid products containing this ingredient.

Be very Skeptical about the following claims below, be sure products that claim natural truly contains harmless ingredients.

“Natural”, “All-natural”, “Natural Ingredients” can mean anything, for example they can add petroleum which is natural mineral oil and it will pass for natural. Always keep nontoxic in mind when shopping for stuff, this way you are aware more alert when you see something doggy on a product label.

Note: The word “Inactive” on a product ingredient label is used to mask the true identity of a toxic chemical—harmful.

I recommend only products I have checked or used myself so you can be most assured that these products are ethical and safe, also some of these products contain active organic ingredients. I have made a list of some of the most effective anti-aging on budget products that I love, so by all means head on and scan our Nontoxic Lifestyle archives to find yourself something you like.