"Natural" Documents - MiniBlog

Have you defined what NATURAL

means to you?

If you use the term “natural” to describe your ingredients or your finished products you may want to consider writing a definition of “natural” on your web site.

First, let’s make clear that a synthetic, in my world, means a human has made a new molecule.

What? New molecules? Well, oil, for example is naturally occurring in seeds and nuts and the molecules that make the oil is not changed when it is pressed out of the seeds. A simple example of a new molecule is soap: oil and lye are reacted. The mixture gets hot, a new molecule is formed and, violá, you have soap or Potassium Cocoate (made from Coconut Oil plus Lye – for example this is how they make Dr. Bronner’s soap).

I further categorize synthetics as good chemicals or bad chemicals. Good chemicals are made using a renewable resource plus using the Principles of Green Chemistry (see previous mini-blog for the reference to this paper). Bad chemicals are everything else and usually bad for the environment and most living creatures.

A “natural” ingredient is extracted from a plant using mechanical means like pressure, steam, or water extraction. This definition is published in the EPA regulations, although people seem to believe that “there is no legal definition of natural”. Wrong, it is in our existing laws.

Different companies define “natural” different ways – but you need to be clear. If you can verbalize a definition to your consumers, the courts are more likely to support you. Also – if you can’t explain it, how can you mean it?

For more on definitions, check our Definitions & Links page.