What does 'Natural' mean to you, when it comes to personal care?

Like to have your say about what constitutes a natural personal care product?

Burt's Bees (Natural personal care company from the US), have launched an Australian survey, so you can have your say. It is easy to complete and takes around 5 minutes or a little less. You'll find the link on the Burt's Bees home page. http://www.burtsbees.com.au/

Below is a little information from Burt's Bees on the Survey.

Burt’s Bees and Porter Novelli Adelaide have launched an online survey asking Australian consumers about their concerns and attitudes to ‘natural’ ingredients – what ‘natural’ means to them and what matters to them about ‘natural’ ingredients in personal care (meaning products for body, face, hair etc). Burt’s Bees has done a similar survey in the US but as far as we know, no-one’s done one here.

Essentially, we would like to invite you to take a look at the survey and help us encourage people to participate. If you would like to take it further, we are more than happy to set up an interview with Emma Atkinson, the GM of Burt's Bees here in Australia, to discuss in-depth the ideas behind the survey and the ultimate goals for the results.

The survey process itself is only five minutes long and is just a series of simple questions about/around natural ingredients and natural personal care products. We are aiming to gather as much feedback as possible over the next three months, and will be sharing the results with online communities and health and beauty media. Burt's Bees is committed to transparency about 'natural' in the industry, and was instrumental in the creation of a 'natural' standard in the US - now we're aiming high here too! I think that for many people this issue is confusing and frustrating, and I hope that we can achieve greater clarity for everyone interested in natural personal care.

Why are we doing this? Firstly, because we just don’t want to make assumptions about what Australians think and know about ‘natural’ in personal care. Obviously Burt’s Bees is a ‘natural’ focused company but this survey is about understanding what consumers actually want. All sorts of assumptions get made in marketing and both Burt’s Bees and Porter Novelli Adelaide have decided that’s not enough for us. So we’re asking. We’ve decided to approach online communities because we know connecting online is one way consumers can share their unfiltered views and concerns, and that’s what we want to hear. Yes, you will be talking to a PR company and a manufacturer in the industry - because we genuinely want to know what people are thinking.

We will use the results of the survey in the following ways: we will report back to the blogs and site communities that link to the survey on what we find, we will share the results with the health and beauty media in Australia and we will make the results available via the Burt’s Bees website. We hope the results will help address any concerns or confusions about what ‘natural’ means and how it is presented in Australia. (One result of a similar survey in the US was that Burt’s Bees joined together with other major natural personal care companies to develop a national standard for ‘natural’ via the Natural Products Association.)

The results will be available to you to use and we hope the whole process encourages conversation and education about the topic.

The survey is for Australian residents and will run from August 20 until November 14. You can find it here.

As the results of this survey will be featured in the media, this is a great opportunity for CleanLife readers to have their say about what 'Natural' means.

SIGG Bottles, not as safe as we have been lead to believe?

SIGG Replacement Bottles - Update

Thanks to a CleanLife reader and one of CleanLife's favourite companies, BIOME (www.biome.com.au) we have discovered a little more about the SIGG saga detailed below.

The really good news is that SIGG are offering to replace your bottles with their new BPA free version. You need only return your bottles by mail, free post and notify them of which bottle you would like for a replacement. Full details are below in an email sent to one of our CleanLife readers from the Australian SIGG distributor;

"Our company is distributing SIGG in Australia.
First of all we would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your loyalty and trust towards our products.
After headlines dominating some internet blogs over the past few days about “SIGG and BPA” we would like to clarify the situation with some firsthand information based on facts.
The former SIGG liner (applied until July/August 2008) did undergo regular tests, which were carried out under the watchful eyes of highly regarded, independent laboratories in Europe and the U.S.A. (to view the tests please log on to http://www.siggaustralia.com.au )
All of the test results show: No leaching of BPA! in the former SIGG liner. (BPA information for Australia and New Zealand are published under http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/c...isphenol-a.htm http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/news...ndfood4218.cfm )
Based on these facts, we are confident, that the former SIGG liner is safe!
However, if you feel in any way uncomfortable with your SIGG bottles that still have the former SIGG liner, SIGG offers you to swap it for a new bottle with the new “EcoCare-Liner”, introduced in Summer 2008.
The new SIGG “EcoCare-Liner” is a powder-based, co-polyester that has been thoroughly tested and certified not only to be 100% BPA-free and as well free of phthalates, BADGE, BFDGE & NOGE.
Just log on to http://www.siggaustralia.com.au choose your favourite design, write the SIGG-Code on a piece of paper with your address details and send your old liner bottle to the address below:
SIGG Exchange Reply Paid: 86193 Werribee VIC 3030
All costs involved of handling/ postage goes on us.
We hope that you will continue to have confidence in the quality and safety of SIGG products. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us"

The other good news your retailer should also be able to issue a replacement free of charge, if you would like to deal in person. Additionally although it may not give you complete peace of mind, despite the epoxy resin previously used containing BPA, there has not been any evidence at this stage to suggest that it has leached into water contained in the bottles.

To find out a whole lot more about this story and to help you make your decision about your next reusable water bottle purchase, check out the 'accidental greenie' blog from BIOME founder Tracey Bailey. It is very open and honest about the whole saga.
http://accidental-greenie.blogspot.com/search/label/SIGG

For those of you looking for an alternative brand / type of drinking flask, a safe option is usually pure stainless steel. These are becoming readily available, but ensure you are not being exposed to nickel and other contaminants by choosing 18/10 or surgical grade stainless steel items. As Tracey rightly points out their are many cheap versions that are likely to be bulk manufactured and not the highest in quality.

Happy water guzzling

Gina




Previous blog on this topic.......................on 12/10/09

I am so sick and tired of companies telling blatant lies!!

The latest in this list of unethical companies is SIGG! Yes I was shocked too. These guys sell re-usable bottles that we greenies like to drink from so we avoid plastic and the potential BPA and other nasties that they can contain. There was murmurs some time ago that the epoxy resin used to line SIGGs bottles may leach a number of toxic compounds, however an 'independent' report was swiftly released (now I am wondering just how independent it really was), showing that their was no leaching of BPA into the contents (water) in bottles. The bottles were said to be BPA free! While it may (or may not) be true that the lining does not leach, the bottles (we now find out, thanks to the environmental working group) were made of BPA based epoxy resin as the lining, up until mid 2008, so many of us (including me) may still be using bottles containing BPA. The bottles are no longer lined with BPA epoxy resin, but they still do use a lining, and at this stage they won't reveal the contents of this lining.

In the US you can get a replacement, new bottle (if you want one!) from SIGG retailers, I am not sure of the situation in Australia, so you may need to contact the shop you purchased from.

Patagonia, who is in the green retail world, a GIANT, is now refusing to sell the bottles, so hopefully SIGG will suffer from this.

To any CleanLife readers who have been using these bottles, we are very sorry, we have been too!


Read the full report below.

http://www.ewg.org/kid-safe-chemicals-act-blog/2009/09/sigg-it%E2%80%99s-not-easy-not-being-green/

If you have news or updates on this story, please let us know.


Sick to the stomach

Gina

Natural Instinct leader in misleading claims: Get your refund NOW

I am absolutely disgusted to find that Natural Instinct and Organic Instinct brands which are owned by Natural Products of Australia Pty Ltd have been so incredibly and deliberately misleading and deceptive in the promotion of their not so natural personal care products.

The company has been found to guilty of deliberately failing to list all ingredients on the on the ingredients lists such as Sodium Laureth Sulphate, listing some chemicals by incorrect names, and claiming that some products are "made from 100% pure oils and certified organic herbs" when in fact, only a very minor proportion of the product uses these. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has told it to publish corrective notices in newspapers & magazine. You can read more specifics on the link below.

I think most people who know a little about labelling would have realised that the products were far from 100% pure oils and certified organic herbs, but this latest deception is really so very manipulative.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,28383,25344143-5007185,00.html

Natural Instinct and Organic Instinct have never been part of the CleanLife Directory of recommended products (aka CleanLife's favourite companies), and we are very proud of that. The many companies we have turned away over the past years often don't understand how pedantic we are in choosing the products we recommend, this horrific event brings it into perfect clarity.

Despite the company being ineligible for our directory, I had thought that their products were better than the average off your shelf supermarket variety, and would have answered as much if anybody asked, and unfortunately that may not be so. I feel truly deceived.

There are so many things that disgust me about this incident, but one of the things that makes me feel sick to the bottom of my stomach is that many of the affected products are the baby ranges. I have included the products that are affected below, so please ensure you contact NI on the number they have provided on their website and, get your refund if you have purchased any affected products.

I am also incredibly upset at the effect this may have on people who were only recently starting to convert to natural products. Many families start with Natural Instinct because it is easy to access and cheap. Will those companies be put off natural and organic products altogether? I hope not.

What you can do to protect your family:

1) Learn to read labels, our labelling legislation in Australia is incredibly weak, read more about it here;
http://www.cleanlife.com.au/cleantips/labelling_myths.html
or
http://www.cleanlife.com.au/cleantips02.htm

2) Learn which chemicals need to be avoided and clean out your bathroom cupboard now
http://www.cleanlife.com.au/cleantips03.htm

3) Choose products from reputable companies, like those on the CleanLife directory
http://www.cleanlife.com.au/complist.htm

4) Ensure that you seek the full refund for any products you have purchased that many have been affected, see details below.

Here is an extract from the correction notice that comes as a pop up on the Natural Instinct website (if your pop up blocker doesn't get to it first as mine did).

Non-compliant labelling and misleading claims

Following an investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (the ACCC), Natural Instinct has acknowledged that it may have breached sections 52, 53(a), 55 and 65D of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (the Act) in the labelling of some of its products and in brochures distributed by Natural Instinct.

Until on or about 30 June 2008:

• Natural Instinct did not include sodium laureth sulphate (plant derived), cocamide DEA, cetrimonium chloride and citric acid as ingredients on the labels of the products listed in Table A, as required by the Trade Practices (Consumer Product Information Standards) (Cosmetic) Regulations 1991 (the Standard).

TABLE A

Ingredient	Products affected
Sodium Laureth Sulphate (plant derived)	Baby shampoo Baby bath wash Body wash	Foaming cleanser Hand wash Shampoo
Cocamide DEA	Baby shampoo Body wash Foaming cleanser	Hand wash Shampoo
Cetrimonium Chloride	Baby conditioner	Conditioner
Citric Acid	Baby bath wash Baby conditioner Baby shampoo Baby moisturising lotion Body wash Conditioner Facial scrub	Foaming facial cleanser Hand cream Hand wash Hydrating toner Moisturiser Shampoo

• Natural Instinct did not list ingredients in the correct order on the products listed in Table B, as required by the Standard.

TABLE B

Products affected
Aloe Vera Gel	Baby bath wash	Baby conditioner
Baby moisturising lotion	Baby shampoo	Body lotion
Body wash	Conditioner	Facial scrub
Foaming facial cleanser	Hand cream	Hand wash
Moisturiser	Shampoo.

• Natural Instinct did not correctly name the chemicals and ingredients listed in Table C, as required by the Standard

TABLE C

INCI name	Incorrect name(s) used
Sodium laureth sulphate (plant derived)	Sodium Salt of Laureth 2 Sodium Salt of Sulphonated Laureth 2
Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate	Suttocide
Fragrance (USA) Parfum / Profumo (UE)	Preservative T
Cetrimonium Chloride	Quaternised derivative of palm oil

Full details of the Section 87B Undertaking and a list of affected products can be found on the Public Register on the ACCC’s website at www.accc.gov.au.

To compensate customers who purchased Natural Instinct products and believe they have been misled, Natural Instinct is offering a refund for the full purchase price of affected products. For more information about claims for refunds contact Edwina Pearce of Natural Instinct on 1800 771 063 or at customerservice@natural instinct.com.au by 6 June 2009.

Please forward this information on to as many people as you can.

With best wishes

Gina