The Label is Unveiled
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY2008
THE NATURAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION, WITH LIKE MINDED BRANDS UNVEIL THE NATURAL SEAL FOR PERSONAL CARE
"TheNatural Products Association in conjunction with Burt’s Bees and other leading natural brands has unveiled the first credible standard in natural personal care with a corresponding seal. The universal standard and seal serve as definitive markers of personal care products that are truly natural.
"Arriving at one definition of the word natural and clearly and easily communicating it to consumers is essential for the industry,” says Mike Indursky, Chief Marketing and Strategic Officer of Burt’s Bees. “It’s that we believe if a product is labeled natural, it should be just that—natural—and avoid synthetic alternatives.” With industry collaboration, the US Natural Products Association Standard for Personal Care outlines which ingredients and processes are best to maximize the well being of consumers, as well as those that aren’t. "
THE NATURAL PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION, WITH LIKE MINDED BRANDS UNVEIL THE NATURAL SEAL FOR PERSONAL CARE
"TheNatural Products Association in conjunction with Burt’s Bees and other leading natural brands has unveiled the first credible standard in natural personal care with a corresponding seal. The universal standard and seal serve as definitive markers of personal care products that are truly natural.
"Arriving at one definition of the word natural and clearly and easily communicating it to consumers is essential for the industry,” says Mike Indursky, Chief Marketing and Strategic Officer of Burt’s Bees. “It’s that we believe if a product is labeled natural, it should be just that—natural—and avoid synthetic alternatives.” With industry collaboration, the US Natural Products Association Standard for Personal Care outlines which ingredients and processes are best to maximize the well being of consumers, as well as those that aren’t. "
The following is from the NPA website:
"To ensure that the integrity of the seal is maintained, its use must follow these guidelines:
*Only brands with at least 60% of their products meeting the association’s standard are permitted to use the seal, and the seal can only be used on those products that specifically meet the standard.
*Manufacturers have permission and are strongly encouraged to use the seal on packaging, communications, etc., as allowed by the Natural Products Association.
*Retailers are permitted and strongly encouraged to use the seal as education for those products in their stores that meet the standard.
*A committee at the Natural Products Association will oversee the usage of the seal to ensure its integrity is maintained.
*Only brands with at least 60% of their products meeting the association’s standard are permitted to use the seal, and the seal can only be used on those products that specifically meet the standard.
*Manufacturers have permission and are strongly encouraged to use the seal on packaging, communications, etc., as allowed by the Natural Products Association.
*Retailers are permitted and strongly encouraged to use the seal as education for those products in their stores that meet the standard.
*A committee at the Natural Products Association will oversee the usage of the seal to ensure its integrity is maintained.
Under The Natural Standard for Personal Care Products, allowed ingredients come or are made from a renewable resource found in nature (flora, fauna, mineral), with absolutely no petroleum compounds. Learn more about allowed processes and ingredients.
For each ingredient, the substance must be listed as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when used in accordance with FDA's good manufacturing practices (GMP) and contain no residues of heavy metals or other contaminants in excess of tolerances set by FDA or EPA or has been reviewed using criteria in this Standard. Manufacturers and retailers can find the full list of allowed and prohibited ingredients and processes within the appendix of The Natural Standard for Personal Care Products.
Other Guidelines
The Natural Standard for Personal Care Products also requires that companies be transparent, fully disclosing their ingredients accurately and truthfully. They should strive to maximize their use of recyclable and post-consumer recycled content in packaging. And no animal testing of ingredients or products is allowed. "
-end info from NPA website.
I think this is great news. Now there will be a clear label for consumers to help guide them; similar to the USDA Organic Label. You'll notice parabens (methyl, butyl, propyl) are not allowed, neither is dimethicone, phenoxythanel....so if your products contain those then they would not be allowed to carry this new logo, no matter what the company calls it's self or how it brands the product.
