The Truth Behind Natural and Hypoallergenic Products

There is no legal, scientific or accepted dictionary of terms like "natural" and "hypoallergenuc". It is generally accpeted that a hypoallergenic product is formulated to cause fewer allergic reponses than a similar, non-hypoallergenic product. most of us however, usually believes that hypoallergenic products are much superior to normal products because they have been scientifically formulated to kind to sensitive skin, and the natural products contain mostly natural ingredients ( usually from plants) and only contain small amount of artificial chemical additives. This is often reinforced by the higher cost of hypoallergenic products that claim to be natural.

The meaning of terms "hypoallergenic" and "natural" are a point of confusion and the evidence must speak for itself. Products on British shelves that claim to be natural sometimes contain less than one percent of natural ingredients. It have been found that many hypoallergenic porducts are not substantially different to the standard vision of the same prodcut. It is often the exact same ingredients except that theu contain fewer colorants and fragrances. Since this ingredients are the most common cause of irrititation and allergies, the mere fact that fewer of them have been used may be sufficient. A product that contains fewer colorants and fragrances may well be kinder to the skin but it should not cost more than a comparable, alternative product.

Other term of confusions are "unscented", " fragrance free", "dermatologically tested", and "allergy tested". These are difinitions that are ofetn used witout any explanation as to their meaning of any test which has been carried out. Many products labelled as being "unscented" do in fact contain small amount of fragrance chamical, added by the manufacturer to cover up the unpleasant, natural odors of other ingredients. If you want to avoid fragrance chemicals, ignore the banner on the front and check the list of ingredients on the back of the product for terms that may include "fragrance", "flavor", "parfum" or "aroma"