Natural products, wild claims?

[LuckyStar]

Curious how/if this should be dealt with at all. A friend of mine has been buying all natural products from a vendor and some of their products just sort of scream false advertising or worse yet, unsafe.

Their natural sunscreen is just a mixture of oils and nothing else, no TD, no ZO, just coconut,shea, etc etc, and they claim it to be spf 40 or higher.

They also have several products that contain water and no preservative outside of vitamin E, which as far as i know, does little to nothing to prevent microbial growth .

I feel like i want to say something to her(friend buying, not the vendor), but i worry it would sound like i was just jealous and trash talking.

 

[new12soap]

I would say something. Sunburns are no fun, skin cancer far less so. Be polite, no need to be nasty, but just let the friend know that you are really concerned because your research into bath and body and skin care products tells you that these claims are just not true.

Then I would report them to the FDA. "Look 10 years younger!" is one thing (tho still wrong), putting customers in danger is something else IMO.

 

[pamielynn]

Sunscreen is a drug. I'm guessing they are going on the claim that some carrier oils have UV protectant qualities. There's a soaper up the road from me who does this, as well.

I'm ambivalent on the idea of reporting to the FDA because the more complaints they get, the better their case is to enact tighter regulations (and money) on the small business person.

HOWEVER - I would speak to your friend, especially if she's buying the sunscreen. You can not expect her to change her mind immediately, but maybe at least put the thought in her head.

Then get brave and go ask the creator how they got their SPF rating and request the proof. Then ask them if bacteria in lotion is better than preservative.

And remember that "natural" means nothing at all in the real world of things.

 

[Susie]

Does that vendor have any of their claims in writing? What about on her labels, is there a list of ingredients? If you have any of that in writing, I would send all of that to the FDA. I would also call the local BBB. I agree about not giving the government more reason to interfere in small business, but people like this are the very reason why it happens. Better the small B&B businesses self police and report than for them to clamp down because someone got ill.

As for your friend, I would tell her and show her on the internet where those claims are not true, and are indeed dangerous.

 

[TheOneWhoSoaps]

I agree with everyone above me. They give the rest of us a bad name by making false claims, and people can get hurt.
The vitamin E slows down the rancidity of oils used, it doesn't prevent bacteria growing at all. Preservatives aren't an option, they're a necessity. Even if they had a preservative, they should be challenge tested before selling.

Your friend might even appreciate being taught little things like this, I wouldn't see it as trash talking at all.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

+1 to all of the above. Ask your friend to ask the vendor for the lab results on the SPF for one thing. You can just plant the seeds of knowledge without going in to full smack-down mode, pointing out that preservatives should be used in products with water and then let your friend ask more questions to open it up

 

[LunaSkye]

Give your friend the heads-up while providing her proof of why these products are not the safest to use. Soap Queen has a great article discussing the importance of preservatives (it's also informative on what items do not need it as well).