Would glitter on handmade soap be considered 'natural'?

[SudsandLather]

I'm all for independent soap makers right to create and express their abilities in the soap they make, especially if your customers want it... but my question is:
Can you call yourself 'natural' if you are making soaps with glitter on top and neon colors?

Again, go for what you want to make and sell. But we make natural soap that focuses on essential oils and herb/plant colorants... thus we would like to be considered 'natural'. Am I being too sensitive in minding that those that use glitter call themselves 'natural'?

 

[not_ally]

I would not call my soap "natural" if I used glitter in soap, that seems like an obvious and intentional misrepresentation. I do not like the term anyway, so would avoid it, there are many discussions here about the pitfalls.

But I would be more comfortable using it if I used all e.o's and plant-based colorants. Def. not glitter. And I like glitter, sometimes!

 

[Sonya-m]

Personally for me no soap is natural as sodium hydroxide is manufactured - it doesn't occur on its own in nature

 

[snappyllama]

"Natural" is one of those marketing words that doesn't really mean anything. That said, if I was branding something as natural or part of a natural line, I'd stay away from bright colors, glitter, etc. But that would only be to keep with a more rustic, "natural" look - not that there is anything particularly natural about adding sodium hydroxide to oils in the first place.

When I wrap up my pine tar soaps for gifting, I pick brown papers to go with the old-timey, natural theme.
When I wrap up my glitter encrusted, bright pink soaps that smell like grown-up fruit-punch for gifting, I pick shiny paper to go with the girly theme.

It's just a matter of taste.

 

[shunt2011]

I'm with the others. I don't consider any of my soap natural. It is pure soap. No detergents but it's certainly not natural. I see folks using colorants, FO's and still calling their soap natural all the time. It really doesn't mean anything

 

[Obsidian]

To me, natural soap means only EO's and botanical colorants so no, glitter and neon colors seems like a misrepresentation.

 

[dibbles]

I agree with all of the above. As Snappyllama said, the word 'natural' is a marketing term, and doesn't really mean anything, at least to those who recognize that. But, there are a lot of people who don't know that, and something labeled 'natural' is perceived as a better choice. I don't really have a big problem with handmade soap makers using the word natural when the product is made with EOs and truly natural colorants. I know that the oils are processed and lye could never be called a natural substance.

That said, I definitely do not think that products with neons and FOs should be labeled as natural. I hope that doesn't sound too hypocrite-ish. But (and a bit but) I don't sell, so it really isn't an issue for me. I might have a different opinion if I did.

 

[navigator9]

Like snappy said, it's all a matter of taste. If you're going for a "natural" (whatever that may be) theme, no, glitter wouldn't fit. But even "natural" has degrees......some like extremely rustic looking bars, (although that doesn't mean that they're natural either), some like bars that are strictly vegan, some like uncolored, unscented bars, everyone likes something different. I just list the ingredients, and let people decide for themselves. Because there is no real definition of "natural", it's up to the consumer's discretion as to just how natural they want their products to be.

 

[Aline]

It is even less natural than other 'not truly natural' soaps!

I try not to focus on how other people are describing and labeling their products because it makes me so mad and I have finally accepted that I can't do much about it :neutral:

I'm all for independent soap makers right to create and express their abilities in the soap they make, especially if your customers want it... but my question is:
Can you call yourself 'natural' if you are making soaps with glitter on top and neon colors?

Again, go for what you want to make and sell. But we make natural soap that focuses on essential oils and herb/plant colorants... thus we would like to be considered 'natural'. Am I being too sensitive in minding that those that use glitter call themselves 'natural'?

 

[girlishcharm2004]

To answer your question from my perspective, it would entirely depend on what the glitter is made of. If it's made from mica or some other ground pearly rock/mineral what-have-you, then I would consider it natural. If the glitter is plastic shavings, then no, it's not natural.

Personally, I differentiate between "natural and artificial" NOT "natural and synthetic." Water can be synthetically produced, yet it is a natural ingredient (like sodium hydroxide). However, something completely artificial that CANNOT be found in nature like Berkelium, I would not consider a natural ingredient. To each his own, "natural" is not a regulated term.

 

[SudsandLather]

Thanks everyone for the input and honest discussion. I really appreciate that this is an area that others have thought about too.
I've tried to look up where these 'soap safe' or 'cosmetic safe' glitters come from but I can't find manufactures that list what they are made of. Are cosmetic micas just ground-up sparkly rocks?

 

[lionprincess00]

No. Mica naturally occurring can have heavy metals in them. Manufacturers produce mica near natural because naturally occurring ones can in fact be dangerous if I am recalling correctly.

 

[dixiedragon]

I know that natural doesn't really mean anything officially - but I think it does mean something to consumers. I think it means that it's as natural as possible. IMO, a natural soap is naturally colored and scented. So as a consumer if I saw something called "natural" that was covered in glitter, I would consider that seller dishonest and would not buy their product.

 

[girlishcharm2004]

Mica is a mineral. However, when you buy it for cosmetic uses, you can assume it's synthetic (like how distilled water is synthetic). It's been manipulated in a lab to create a pure substance free of impurities or otherwise heavy, toxic metals.

Personally, when I'm browsing the store, if I see something claiming to be "all natural," that's enough for me to stop and pick up the product to see if it's to my standards. It's not regulated, but it still means something to me.

 

[galaxyMLP]

Woah, to me (please don't take this the wrong way!) distilled water is not synthetic at all. It's still water. In fact, its super pure water, and you can find versions of distilled water in nature. That so strange to me. If you said water made from hydrogen and oxygen electrically bound together in a lab, I would agree that is "synthetic" water. But distilled?? No way!