by Lisa Valentine
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I don’t think anyone of us would disagree that being truthful and complete in labeling should be a mandate. I mean how many of us know someone who has an allergy to one thing or another and for some this allergy can be deadly? I know I do. These people are the ones who spend time reading ingredients for everything from food to cosmetics. Yet I’ve found that for the rest of us who are not severely allergic, reading ingredients is a curious afterthought. So if we all agree that full disclosure of listing ingredients TRUTHFULLY is paramount and in some cases, lifesaving, then why doesn’t everyone list the ingredients that go into their products?
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Do you think listing ingredients on your product label is enough and don’t need to list them on your website? We recently polled the members of our Yahoo! Group about listing ingredients on their websites. Here are the questions we asked:
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- Do you list all of your product ingredients on your website?
- Do you list only a few of your ingredients?
- Do you list none?
- Do you think it is important to list them all?
- Do you think it is not important to list them all?
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| 48% of the members who responded said that they do list all of their ingredients, 44% agreed that it is important to list all of your ingredients and 7% said that they only list a few of their ingredients. It is important to note that the latter group cited protection of their formulas and recipes for the reason they don’t list all of their ingredients, and not because they don’t care about their customer’s health, safety or philosophical desires. We also had members post messages about how they felt about this and everyone has one thing in common; given a choice they would purchase a product from a website that fully listed their ingredients over one that didn’t. It’s kind of a paradox we find ourselves in. Hmmmmm……. |
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We’ve witnessed Corporate America withholding ingredients stating that is a “trade secret”. The NIRC held an interview with Citricidal in 2006, the company who produces Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE), and during this process we learned that GSE is made up of more than just grapefruits but they weren’t willing to tell us what else. WHY NOT!!!! Because it is a trade secret, that’s why not!
Here is what the FDA website says about “trade secrets”: “The law allows a manufacturer to ask the FDA to grant "trade secret" status for a particular ingredient. FDA grants this status under very limited circumstances and after careful review of the manufacturer's data. The manufacturer must prove that the ingredient imparts some unique property to a product and that the ingredient is not well known in the industry. If trade secret status is granted, the ingredient does not have to be listed on the label, but the list must end with the phrase "and other ingredients."
Well, that makes me feel better, how about you? There are so many “what if” questions that come to mind. What if your religious beliefs mean that you can’t use anything that isn’t kosher and a company uses non-kosher glycerine but because it’s a trade secret they don’t put it on their label? What if you are trying to be more environmentally responsible and the product you are buying uses petrochemicals but doesn’t list them because it’s a trade secret? What if you are chemically sensitive, what if you have a gluten allergy, what if you have a life-threatening peanut allergy, what if, what if, what if! |
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| There are regulations that pertain to product labeling in the cosmetics industry, right down to where your label should be. It is called the “Cosmetic Labeling Manual” and can be found at
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-lab1.html
Anyone who is selling a product retail should know how a product is required to be labeled and the NIRC strongly encourages you to go through this manual. Now, while these regulations may be listed as to pertaining to physical products, common sense should dictate that these regulations are also applied to internet-based businesses. But what do I know about common sense? That’s a rhetorical question by the way. |
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The NIRC has its own guidelines for labeling and for the use of the NIRC seal on products or ingredients.
In order for products to be labeled as "Natural," 95% of the ingredients must fit the NIRC criteria for natural ingredients. The remaining 5% may come from ingredients that do not meet the NIRC criteria for natural, and which DO NOT include synthetic fragrances, artificial colors or ingredients from petrochemicals. The toxicity of each ingredient must be minimal. All percentages are based upon weight. In addition, if your products are labeled as "Made with/from Natural Ingredients" it must contain at least 70% natural ingredients that meet the NIRC criteria. The remaining 30% may come from ingredients that do not meet the NIRC criteria for natural; however, products that include synthetic fragrances, artificial colors or ingredients from petrochemicals MAY NOT display the NIRC "Seal". All percentages are based upon weight. |
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So what have we learned so far? There are rules and regulations. There is an ethical and safety factor. We believe it is important, yet don’t always follow the rules ourselves. In the end I know that I have personally struggled with disclosing all of my ingredients. I’ve spent the last 3 years working on a formula for 3 different types of lotions and creams and after all of the time, hard work, research and testing I think I have a product I am happy with. By listing all of my ingredients I run the risk that someone is going to try and duplicate it. That would be the highest form of flattery…right? NOT! But, I want repeat customers, customers who feel that they can trust in the product they are buying. I want to feel like I am giving someone all of the information they need to make an informed decision. After all, I know that I won’t buy a product if I can’t read the ingredients, so why should I be held to a different standard than the one I hold others to? |
| Lisa Valentine is a Reiki Practitioner, Aromatherapy Consultant and Small Business owner of Mystic Moon Soap Company. She also works in the field of investment and insurance with over 15 year’s experience. |
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