Browsing the shelves of personal care products, it would be hard to miss the labels claiming “no parabens, phthalates, SLS, etc…” What does it mean and is it all just a marketing ploy?

Parabens have been a hot topic for years and for good reason: they are cheap, synthetic ingredients used to prevent microbial growth. Unfortunately, parabens mimic estrogen in the body, possibly leading to the rise in genital abnormalities in boys, early puberty in girls, and development of breast cancer. In fact, there is enough concern that manufacturers have found alternatives because they don’t want to risk it.

Phthalates might not be listed on the label but companies love to market that they don’t use them. Why is this? Phthalates are nasty little compounds that find their way into hundreds of products; specifically fragrances, nail polishes and hair sprays. They are endocrine disrupters and studies have shown they cause reduced sperm count and have been linked to liver cancer. Companies are doing their part to ensure these synthetic compounds don’t show up in their products.

Formaldehyde Donors – you might see it on a label as Quaternium-15, DMDM Hydantoin, or Diazolidinyl Urea – are preservatives that work by releasing formaldehyde. When I hear formaldehyde, I think back to science class and the embalmed frog lying on the lab bench. Depending on the level of exposure, formaldehyde is toxic, allergenic and carcinogenic. There are all sorts of limitations on its use and because of this most manufacturers take the safe route and avoid it all together.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) have sparked a lot of controversy during the past few years. These surfactants are what cause foaming in shampoo, toothpastes and cleansers. SLS can cause skin and eye irritation. SLES is the less-irritating version but undergoes a synthetic process called ethoxylation, which can produce 1,4-dioxane – another carcinogen – as a byproduct.

The important question here is, do we even need foam for our cleanser to work? Not necessarily, but some products still have them. The important part is when you’re at the store, looking at a product label, it’s hard to know what to buy. So many consumers say, “I just want to find a product that’s natural or organic.” Is there a way for them to know which products don’t contain these synthetic chemicals without getting a master’s disease in chemistry? Yes, if the product has a third-party certification, like NPA’s Natural Seal or USDA’s organic seal. Look for the seals so you know that you aren’t just paying for marketing, but a truly natural product.

The Importance of Certification
What’s natural? That depends on who you ask. Over the last 10 plus years, I have worked with no less than 8 groups working on definitions and/or standards development for natural and organic personal care. All of the groups had one thing in common — to come up with a sensible definition for natural personal care that was real, authentic, and ultimately protective of the consumer. Some were written in the United States, some in the EU, Japan, Australia, and other places around the world.

One would think all these disparate groups would come up with vastly different definitions, but what always amazes me is how similar all of the standards really are. When authentic members of the natural products community sit face to face to discuss the various definitions, we argue like cats and dogs over the slightest interpretative fault or weakness in any standard, but we have a real passion for what we are doing. Therein lies our common goal. The natural products industry has drawn a line in the sand between the truly natural and the “green-washed” versions of our products.

The best way for a customer or retailer to know for sure if a product is the real deal is to look for a valid certification on the product. There are a number of certifications around that manufacturers can use and that retailers should become familiar with. These certifications not only incite companies to “keep it real” but they also boldly communicate the message to the customer that these companies take consumer demand and concerns to heart.

Let’s face it, in this day and age, with everyone’s time and money in short supply, times are tough and purchase decisions are made quickly and economically. Consumers want good products that may also provide a sense of well-being. How do they know if the products they select are truly natural? They look for the natural certification, find the NPA Natural Seal, and already may feel a little better because they know they have selected a quality, truly natural product.

Natural certification is fast becoming less of a nicety, and more of a standard to incorporate into product development. Customers benefit from purchasing certified products, but the companies that sell them also see the benefits, both to their reputation and to their bottom lines.

By Curt Valva
Aubrey Organics
Winner of the 2012 NPA Industry Champion Award

What’s natural? That depends on who you ask. Over the last 10 plus years, I have worked with no less than 8 groups working on definitions and/or standards development for natural and organic personal care. All of the groups had one thing in common — to come up with a sensible definition for natural personal care that was real, authentic, and ultimately protective of the consumer. Some were written in the United States, some in the EU, Japan, Australia, and other places around the world.

One would think all these disparate groups would come up with vastly different definitions, but what always amazes me is how similar all of the standards really are. When authentic members of the natural products community sit face to face to discuss the various definitions, we argue like cats and dogs over the slightest interpretative fault or weakness in any standard, but we have a real passion for what we are doing. Therein lies our common goal. The natural products industry has drawn a line in the sand between the truly natural and the “green-washed” versions of our products.

The best way for a customer or retailer to know for sure if a product is the real deal is to look for a valid certification on the product. There are a number of certifications around that manufacturers can use and that retailers should become familiar with. These certifications not only incite companies to “keep it real” but they also boldly communicate the message to the customer that these companies take consumer demand and concerns to heart.

Let’s face it, in this day and age, with everyone’s time and money in short supply, times are tough and purchase decisions are made quickly and economically. Consumers want good products that may also provide a sense of well-being. How do they know if the products they select are truly natural? They look for the natural certification, find the NPA Natural Seal, and already may feel a little better because they know they have selected a quality, truly natural product.

Natural certification is fast becoming less of a nicety, and more of a standard to incorporate into product development. Customers benefit from purchasing certified products, but the companies that sell them also see the benefits, both to their reputation and to their bottom lines.

By Curt Valva
Aubrey Organics
Winner of the 2012 NPA Industry Champion Award

Become familiar with the NPA Natural Standard to determine if all product ingredients are from natural renewable sources (flora, fauna, mineral), free of prohibited substances, and manufactured using only allowed ecological processes listed in the NPA Natural Standard.

Complete the application and all other related documents. The application must be complete and include payment before a product will be sent to the third-party auditor for review. A complete application must include the following applicant information: the completed application, the signed Natural Personal Care Certification Program Agreement a Site Quality Summary for each manufacturing site, a Company Product Matrix, and the Company Product Lines Worksheet. The application packet must also include the following documentation for each product: a copy of the product label; product certification matrix; quantitative formula (raw material breakdown); ingredient documentation including tech/spec sheets, MSDS, COAs and product and/or manufacturing instructions where appropriate; citations of regulatory status for color additives; a signed affidavit attesting to their compliance with existing federal and state laws and regulations; and additional documents as requested by NPA or the auditor. An officer of the company should sign the Natural Personal Care Certification Program Agreement. NPA and the auditing company will sign a confidentiality agreement, if requested.

The goal of the review is to confirm compliance of the product to the Natural Standard and assign a percentage (%) natural to each product reviewed for the Natural Certification Program. The audit is based on a review of the product and ingredient documentation and therefore the documentation must be comprehensive and complete. NPA may request additional information from companies to verify products and ingredients do not contain prohibited substances and are manufactured using only the allowed ecological processes identified in the NPA Natural Standard.

During the audit process, all pertinent product and ingredient documentation will be reviewed. If there are outstanding issues with the product, the auditor will notify NPA and NPA will contact the company. The company will address outstanding issues and submit necessary documentation to NPA that confirms that appropriate action has been taken. Once outstanding issues have been addressed, the auditor will complete a review report utilizing NPA’s audit report protocol. Compliance and deficiencies will be evaluated based on the NPA Standard and Certification Program for Natural Personal Care Products requirements. The completed review report and level of compliance (recorded as “% Natural”) to the standard will be forwarded to NPA for review. If the product is at least 95 percent natural based on the audit report findings, NPA will certify the product for two years.

NPA will issue a certificate for each product certified Natural under the NPA Natural Program and post the name of the product on the NPA Natural Seal website. NPA will make high-resolution copies of the seal available to those firms meeting the standard. The seal will be used in accord with the terms of use. Firms will notify the Natural Products Association in writing of the products and the representative batch/lot or identifying code which are incorporating the seal within fifteen (15) business days of the product and its representative batch/lot or identifying code being marketed.

Apply for Certification for Personal Care Products

Application available for download

Audit Protocol

1. Review NPA Natural Standard and Certification Program materials. Become familiar with the NPA Natural Standard to determine if all product ingredients are from natural renewable sources (flora, fauna, mineral), free of prohibited substances, and manufactured using only allowed ecological processes listed in the NPA Natural Standard.
2. Submit Application. Complete the application and all other related documents. The application must be complete and include payment before a product will be sent to the third-party auditor for review. A complete application must include the following applicant information: the completed application, the signed Natural Personal Care Certification Program Agreement a Site Quality Summary for each manufacturing site, a Company Product Matrix, and the Company Product Lines Worksheet. The application packet must also include the following documentation for each product: a copy of the product label; product certification matrix; quantitative formula (raw material breakdown); ingredient documentation including tech/spec sheets, MSDS, COAs and product and/or manufacturing instructions where appropriate; citations of regulatory status for color additives; a signed affidavit attesting to their compliance with existing federal and state laws and regulations; and additional documents as requested by NPA or the auditor. An officer of the company should sign the Natural Personal Care Certification Program Agreement. NPA and the auditing company will sign a confidentiality agreement, if requested.
3. Audit Review Goal. The goal of the review is to confirm compliance of the product to the Natural Standard and assign a percentage (%) natural to each product reviewed for the Natural Certification Program. The audit is based on a review of the product and ingredient documentation and therefore the documentation must be comprehensive and complete. NPA may request additional information from companies to verify products and ingredients do not contain prohibited substances and are manufactured using only the allowed ecological processes identified in the NPA Natural Standard.
4. During the audit process, all pertinent product and ingredient documentation will be reviewed. If there are outstanding issues with the product, the auditor will notify NPA and NPA will contact the company. The company will address outstanding issues and submit necessary documentation to NPA that confirms that appropriate action has been taken. Once outstanding issues have been addressed, the auditor will complete a review report utilizing NPA’s audit report protocol. Compliance and deficiencies will be evaluated based on the NPA Standard and Certification Program for Natural Personal Care Products requirements. The completed review report and level of compliance (recorded as “% Natural”) to the standard will be forwarded to NPA for review. If the product is at least 95 percent natural based on the audit report findings, NPA will certify the product for two years.
5. Certification and Use of Seal. NPA will issue a certificate for each product certified Natural under the NPA Natural Program and post the name of the product on the NPA Natural Seal website. NPA will make high-resolution copies of the seal available to those firms meeting the standard. The seal will be used in accord with the terms of use. Firms will notify the Natural Products Association in writing of the products and the representative batch/lot or identifying code which are incorporating the seal within fifteen (15) business days of the product and its representative batch/lot or identifying code being marketed.

We recommend you begin by reviewing the Natural Seal website and related program materials including the information about the certification steps. If you decide you are interested in pursuing natural certification for your personal care products, you should review the NPA Natural Standard and Allowed List of Processes and Ingredients to determine if your products fit the criteria established in the Natural Standard. The next step is to assemble the required company and product documentation [see the application packet and program templates] and submit your materials per the instructions in the Application Packet. If you have any questions about the process, please contact NPA at natural@npanational.org

Generally the certification process will take between 4-6 weeks once NPA has received ALL the required documentation necessary for the audit review. Complete transparency with NPA staff and providing the full documentation for each product and ingredient will facilitate the audit review and may shorten the time necessary to complete the certification.

The program Application Packet specifies what company, product and ingredient information must be submitted for natural certification. Company-specific information, such as the executive summary of the company’s organizational structure and the site quality summary, only needs to be submitted once. Product-specific information such as product labels, product processing information and/or manufacturing instruction, and quantitative formulas (raw material breakdown), are needed; additionally, for each ingredient: a complete composition statement, MSDS, tech/spec sheets, current COAs, natural source information, processing information/manufacturing instructions, must be submitted. NPA staff may request additional documentation to confirm natural sourcing of raw materials, processing of ingredients or master batch and manufacturing records.

Yes.

No; however you do need to submit documents for the different sizes to ensure that they are indeed the same formulation. Additionally, all product sizes maintain the original certification date and subsequent recertification date.

No; however you do need to submit documents for the different products to ensure that they are indeed the same formulation as the certified product. Additionally, the kit/pack would maintain the original certification date of the earliest certified product.

The NPA Natural Certification for Personal Care Products is a product certification program, not a company certification program. Therefore, the program certifies products only and you must submit appropriate documentation for each personal care product you want to be certified Natural.

There is no quantity discount for the certification of multiple products through the NPA Natural Certification Program. The program fees cover both the cost of the audit review and licensing for the use of the logo for each product certified for two years. We understand your concern pertaining to the cost of the program, but keep in mind the value of natural certification to your company including the opportunity to have the Natural Seal on your certified products as well having your certified products listed on the Natural Seal website. There has been tremendous consumer outreach concerning this program, resulting in a lot of consumer recognition of the program seal and their confidence that a product bearing the NPA Natural Seal is in fact natural.

Become familiar with the NPA Natural Standard and Allowed List of Processes and Illustrative Positive List of Ingredients to determine what ingredients and processes are allowed and prohibited.

The NPA Illustrative List is a good source of information as to whether or not ingredients are allowed, but is still illustrative. There are so many natural ingredients; it would be unrealistic to think we could list them all. Additionally, there are some ingredients on the Illustrative List that can be found both naturally and synthetically; only the natural version would be allowed for NPA certified products. The deciding factor as to whether ingredients will or will not be allowed in the Natural Standard is whether you have documentation that supports the raw materials are naturally sourced and the ingredient is processed within the allowed processes. If you have a question about a specific ingredient that is not on the Illustrative List or in the Natural Standard under the “Prohibited” section, please contact NPA at natural@npanational.org.

The NPA Illustrative Positive List of ingredients is a good source of information as to whether or not ingredients are allowed, but there are many ingredients on the Illustrative List that can be found both naturally and synthetically. Additionally, some ingredients have processing steps that can prohibit it from the Natural Standard. This is why all ingredients used in a product formulation require the proper documentation before the application is sent to the auditor for review.

The Natural Standard includes an illustrative list of the allowed synthetics. If you have additional questions on which synthetic ingredients are allowed, please contact NPA at natural@npanational.org

Yes, the Natural Standard for Home Care Products was launched in February 2010.

Yes, if your company and products meet the criteria for natural certification we will certify your products through the NPA Natural Certification Program for Personal Care Products.