The 'Myth' of Natural

How many times have you seen a product advertised as Natural? Or an ingredient stating it is naturally derived? Quite a few I would guess. But what does ‘natural’ actually mean? And how does it compare to organic?

 

 Despite widespread use of the term ‘natural’ on personal care products, organizations responsible for regulating these claims lack a clear legal definition for it. This means that some cosmetic brands trying to sell their products, deliberately and un-ethically market them as natural if it fits their own definition. So, if a company considers a product made of non-GMO plant ingredients as natural – they’re free to market it as such. Crazy, isn’t it? 

 The common assumption that natural products or ingredients are safer than synthetic ones, is not always the case. Cosmetic brands are allowed to add just one natural ingredient to their standard product and still call it natural, leaving all other ingredients in the product potentially saturated with harmful chemicals.

 

 

Plant-based ingredients still carry a risk as it depends on how specifically the plant was grown. Natural farming is a long way from being as safe as organic farming. Organic is a legally defined system of agriculture which seeks to use ecological methods of production. Its goal is to learn from and mimic natural processes in order to produce the food we eat while also allowing our farmers to be better stewards of the land. Organic farmers forego the use of synthetic petro-chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and weed killers in favour of more environmentally benign inputs and techniques.

So what negative impacts does non-organic farming have on the environment?

 

1/ Soil and water pollution: Rain and irrigation can lead to agrochemical run-off, which contaminates waterways and causes adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems as a result of toxic effects. This includes blue-green algae blooms that are so dangerous they can sometimes be fatal to livestock, wildlife, marine animals and even humans. A build-up of chemicals in the soil can impact plants, which in turn can be transferred to wildlife and humans who eat the plants. An example of this is the Great Barrier Reef, where studies have found that runoff from fertilizers used at nearby farms is adding nitrogen and phosphorous into the oceanic ecosystem, causing massive algae growth that leads to depletion in oxygen available for other creatures and decreases the biodiversity in those affected areas.

2/ Soil and land degradation: is caused by human mismanagement of soils, mostly due to agricultural activities including the use of agrochemicals in farming. A report on the global assessment of soil degradation states that ‘the earth’s soils are being washed away, rendered sterile or contaminated with toxic chemicals at a rate that cannot be sustained’. [1] Today almost a quarter of the world’s farmland is affected by serious degradation, up from 15% two decades ago.

3/ Climate Change: Synthetic fertilisers and pesticides are derivatives of fossil fuels, including oil and natural gas. The use of fossil fuels is the reason the earth is experiencing dangerous climate change. Much of the applied fertilizer runs off into waterways, or gets broken down by microbes in the soil, releasing the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.

4/ Loss of biodiversity: Industrialised agriculture favours growing large mono-crops of single food varieties, dramatically reducing the biodiversity of the food we eat. Humans are increasingly vulnerable due to the loss of food biodiversity. If a pest or disease invades a monocrop then the risk is that the entire crop will be lost. The greater the diversity of food varieties we eat, the more protected we are to ‘shocks’ in the system.

There are an estimated 23,000 edible plants of which we only eat around 400. [2]

Between 1804 and 1904 there were 7,098 apple varieties documented as having been in use in the USA. Today, approximately 86% of these varieties have been lost. [3]

In Brazil only 12 out of the 32 native pig breeds are left and all are under threat. [4]

 

 So why do companies use ‘natural’ ingredients as opposed to organic? The answer’s simple really, because it’s cheaper. Ingredients that are organically grown and certified are sold at a premium to cover the cost of the organic farming methods. So when purchasing any cosmetic be sure to check the ingredients. ‘Natural’ may not mean what you think it does.

 

 

[1] Oldeman, L. R, 1991, ‘World Map of the status of human-induced soil degradation’ International Soil Reference Information Centre (ISRIC) & United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

 

[2] Cribb, J, 2011, Global Food Security: Risks, Challenges, Solutions, presentation to the Sustainable Food Summit 5 April 2011.

 

[3] Pimbert, M, 2008, ‘Towards food sovereignty: reclaiming autonomous food systems’ IIED, London.

 

[4] Pimbert, M, 2008, ‘Towards food sovereignty: reclaiming autonomous food systems’ IIED, London.