An Inspiration
Oct 12th, 2007 by ByNature
After I browsed through Burt’s Bees website a few days ago, I was very much impressed and inspired by the company’s values, social and environmental responsibilities, and business practices. In fact, I was so inspired that I instantly placed a percentile beside all my variants so my viewers would know how natural the handmade soaps they intend to purchase are.
Having learned more about the importance of using natural products and the impact and benefits it has on the consumers and the environment, I am committed to continue to search for more natural ingredients for my handmade soaps.
By the way, I just signed “Burt’s Bill for Setting The Natural Standard“. I hope you will, too.
They also have this set of guide questions that consumers should ask companies who manufacture or sell “natural” personal care products.
5 Questions to Ask*
In the process of educating yourself about the personal care products you use and what’s in them, you might come up with a few questions. Here are some important ones to get you started, along with our answers.
We want you to have all the information you need to protect yourself and your family from any potentially harmful products. So we encourage you to ask these questions of some other companies who make “natural” personal care products. If their answers don’t match ours, or they don’t know the answers, you’ll naturally want to think twice about what’s getting absorbed into your skin the next time you use their shampoo or moisturizer.
1) On average, what percent natural are your products?
Truly natural products should be 95% or more. Across our line of 150 products, we currently average 99% natural, with half being 100% natural. And we won’t rest until every single one hits the 100% mark.
2) Do you use any of these ingredients: parabens, sulfates, chemical sunscreens, petro chemicals, or formaldehyde donors?
Each of these ingredients has potential and suspected human health risks and that’s why we don’t use them. In addition, safe natural alternatives are available. Truly natural products should contain only ingredients that come from a purposeful, renewable/plentiful source found in nature — in other words, flora, fauna or mineral sources. Any synthetic ingredient must only be used in a personal care product only when there is no viable natural alternative ingredient available and only when there are absolutely no suspected human health risks.
3) Do you use any of these processes: ethoxylation, sulfonation or polymerization?
Truly natural products should not use any of these industrial processes. They have the potential to change the chemical make-up of ingredients that start out natural, so in the end, they aren’t natural ingredients at all. That’s why we never use these processes and instead, stick to what we call “Kitchen Chemistry.” This approach, including good processes like distillation/condensation, and hydrolysis, maximizes the purity of our ingredients and causes no negative effects.
4) On average, what percent Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) is your packaging? Are they recyclable?
71% of people think that a product labeled “natural” should be in packaging made from recycled materials.* That’s why most of our products and packaging are created in part from recycled materials, or have been developed with re-use in mind, like our easy-to-recycle aluminum containers. Plastic bottles should be at least 50% Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) and be recyclable. Ours are.
5) Do you test on animals?
An animal should not ever be tested on to make a personal care product. We do not test on animals.
Share these questions and answers with your friends so they can start educating themselves about the personal care products they use.
And here are my answers:
1) On average, what percent natural are your products?
98.56%
2) Do you use any of these ingredients: parabens, sulfates, chemical sunscreens, petro chemicals, or formaldehyde donors?
No.
3) Do you use any of these processes: ethoxylation, sulfonation or polymerization?
No.
4) On average, what percent Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) is your packaging? Are they recyclable?
The handmade papers are 100% recyclable. As for the other packagings like the clear wrap, I have yet to check with the suppliers.
5) Do you test on animals?
No. I test all my new handmade soaps on myself first, then on my family. By the time we use it on our dogs, the handmade soaps have already been tried and tested by humans 
*taken from Burt’s Bee’s website
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