Undoubtedly, this will come as a surprise to many, but; According to WHO (World health organization), herbal products can be a threat to the health of consumers.
WHO has tested a variety of alternative herbal medicines and found that 59% of the products are contaminated (this is either by contamination with other plant species that should not be in the environment or by other by-products). Moreover, plant extracts (extracts etc) can be toxic or have some other side effects. In conclusion, just because these products are ‘all natural’ does not automatically mean they are safe and effective. And if herbal remedies are contaminated, it’s likely that herbal cosmetics are as well.
This does not mean that synthetic products are safe from contamination, for example vaseline (paraffin oil, petrolium jelly) must be purified appropriately to remove carcinogens. When properly refined, vaseline (paraffin oil) is a very effective additive that is perfectly safe to use.
So, let’s give up the meaningless “all naturals are good and all synthetics are bad” idea. Instead, let’s focus on making sure the ingredients in our products are safe and effective, regardless of their source.
