The word natural is used in so many ways, that it can mean different things to different people. In fact, sometimes it is just thrown around on products for marketing and selling purposes. There is no clear definition for this word, and even the savviest shopper can be deceived with this word on labels. Natural products, natural ingredients, natural skincare, natural fragrance, and so on.

So, let’s take a look at what that means to me.

 Natural means pure, clean and simple ingredients. To me, it means a product that is obtained from a natural resource. A good example would be nut oil. In this instance let's take olive oil as an example. You take the fruit from the plant, press it and you have oil. That is one of the most natural and pure forms of olive oil that I can think of, but only if it is extracted by pressing in this form. A lot of oils are extracted using hexane, which although can be labeled as natural, is actually an altered product, as it changes the molecular structure of the oil. Therefore although pressed olives change its shape, from fruit to oil, the content is still pure.

 Then you can have products that are naturally derived. These products have been altered or concentrated from a natural ingredient. Take the example of a corn chip. That would be naturally derived. You take corn and alter it to make a corn chip, therefore you now have a naturally derived product.

 Natural fragrance are natural components extracted from nature without altering the chemical compounds, to create natural aromatics. Essential oils would be one example of a natural fragrance. They have a plant-like subtle scent. Due to its extraction, natural fragrance can be more expensive to use then synthetic fragrance.

 Next time you see the word “natural” on a product, take a look at the ingredients and see if it makes sense to you. Most clean body and skin products contain simple ingredients, and if you have a doubt, always ask the company how their ingredients are derived.