Are natural products natural??

A recent article in the Consumer magazine (Issue 505) tested several supposedly 'natural' cosmetics and found the majority are not living up to their claims. I find this shocking, although not surprising. Many products propose they are natural or organic but may only contain a small amount of such a product and the rest is synthetic chemicals.

Consumer tested 18 'natural' cosmetics, only some made in NZ, such as eye creams, face creams, body moisturisers, nipple creams, bodywashes, deodorant. They tested these products for synthetic perservatives and found only TWO did not use synthetic chemicals to prolong the shelf life of their products!!!

Parabens are a common preservative in cosmetics but there is concern as to their toxicity. So avoid anything saying methyl, butyl, proply or ethyl.

Many of the products tested by Consumer had phenoxyethanol in them which also has questions raised about its safety. The Cosmetic Database gives it a moderate hazard rating, with links to skin irritation and immunotoxicity, and restrictions as to its use. Avoid this in your products too.

Good news is that there are cosmetics out there that are made with natural chemcial-free preservatives which pose less of a risk to your health. Red Rata is really proud to only sell products that have natural preservatives in them, and they are all made here in New Zealand by some fantastic companies.

The Herb Farm uses a combination of herbal extracts, essential oils and colloidial silver as their natural preservative. Earthwise use sea salt and essentials oils. Essence use grapefruit seed extract in their products that contain water.

The best thing you can do is learn to read the ingredient lists on the products you use. If you cannot read the word, it is likely to be out of a chemistry lab. If it looks Latin, it is probably plant derived and usually the better option. Get wise, be informed and choose the safest products for you and your family. Don't beleive what the pretty labels on the bottle tell you, read the ingredients.

Visit Red Rata to check out our range and find out more information about a wide range of New Zealand made natural body and home care products. Treat your body to the care it deserves.

Ever heard of Parabens?

The word Parabens isn't used in everyday conversation, but they are used in almost 99% of cosmetics and beauty products. And they are not good. Look for methyl, ethyl and propyl parabens in the ingredients list of your products, and avoid them like the plague!

Parabens are chemical preservatives, used to prevent products from spoiling so they can effectively stay on the shelf for a very long time.

But once they are on our body via a moisturiser, lipstick, sunscreen or whatever, parabens are absorbed into your bloodstream and major organs, where their preservative action continues! Some research has actually found residues of these chemicals in cancerous tumours! Yuk!! They also disrupt the delicate hormone balance in our body's as they mimic oestrogen, and can cause skin irritations.

Enough of that scary stuff.

Luckily there are alternatives. Natural beauty products work just as well if not better and you know that you aren't risking your health unnessecarily. Look out for natural preservatives like tea tree oil, grapefruit seed extract or Vitamin E.

At Red Rata we only sell products that contain natural preservatives. So keep an eye out for those nasty lurking parabens and choose natural alternatives instead to keep you healthy.