| "Natural," what does that mean? Within the | | | | of youth (the timeless euphemism for our fear of |
| confines of each of us is a place where we are all | | | | death) convince us that injecting toxins, plastering |
| certain that we have an active, working and | | | | toxins all over our bodies and ingesting toxins is a |
| accurate definition of what the word "natural" | | | | fantastic idea. We have let supply dictate our |
| means. In truth, the different ways that "natural" | | | | demands. We have abdicated the power of the |
| is qualified, quantified and cajoled has more to do | | | | consumer to the manufacturers. Manufacturers |
| with the perspective of the person using it than | | | | are more than willing to sell us the shiny, the |
| the context in which it is used. | | | | pretty, and the obtuse even if it kills us. They do |
| The average consumer sees the word "natural" | | | | so without regard for whether they hasten us to |
| as a panacea for all that is good and right in the | | | | that point which we so desperately abhor. |
| world. To them something that is natural comes | | | | Special interest label readers, people with allergies, |
| directly from nature. It is raw, unrefined. It | | | | vegans, vegetarians and some dieters are |
| becomes a component of magical proportion | | | | typically vigilant about their specific interests. They |
| because we often believe that "natural" is | | | | are the best consumers in some ways. |
| equivalent to "perfect." | | | | Unfortunately, the general public because of their |
| I don't dispute that nature has myriad examples | | | | enthusiasm discards some of the important |
| of perfection. It is important for us to recognize | | | | knowledge they can share. An avid omnivore |
| that the most magnificent examples of nature's | | | | might not heed the warnings of a zealous vegan |
| perfection are only perfection because they are | | | | because they assume because their dining habits |
| imperfect. Don't we secretly all love snowflakes | | | | are not the same that they somehow don't have |
| because we are certain there are no two that | | | | anything important to say on the subject. To be |
| are alike? The Hope Diamond is famous for the | | | | trite, it's the baby going down the drain with the |
| perfection of its beauty. Lets not forget; it is the | | | | bathwater. Vegans should not allow themselves to |
| contamination of the pure carbon by boron that | | | | become complacent. A product can be strictly |
| makes it so elegantly blue. The perfection of a | | | | vegan and still be poison. |
| pearl is the solution of an oyster to an irritation, a | | | | To the marketer, "natural" is just another term |
| less than perfect circumstance. Don't the most | | | | equivalent to "buy me!" Was it one of the big |
| fabulous rivers meander to their destinations? I | | | | manufacturers that told us that all of the |
| have lived on a farm for many years and I know | | | | mainstream skin care products had ingredients |
| you all aren't gonna get on board for this one but | | | | that appeared in the breasts of women with |
| water that has been purified to the extent that | | | | breast cancer? This fact has not translated into |
| there is nothing in it other H2 and O can never be | | | | direct causality in all instances but it is darned |
| compared to the taste of cool, crisp and | | | | suspicious. It is enough to raise a drawn on |
| refreshing good ole dirty well water. | | | | eyebrow. |
| It is these types of images that are conjured in | | | | Nature provides us with many solutions to several |
| the average consumer when they see the word | | | | challenges of the modern world. They are not |
| "natural" on a label. Too often they do not | | | | generic solutions. A botanical that has antibacterial |
| exercise reasonable thinking. Nature is full of | | | | properties may be effective for its appointed use |
| compounds that are lethal in their original states. | | | | at one amount, ineffective at other amounts and |
| Nature can be bad. We know this; still, we find it | | | | toxic or at least irritating at others. One size |
| difficult not to be romantic. | | | | never fits all. |
| Big business knows that we find it difficult to | | | | We can't all be chemists but we can at least be |
| resist the romance of nature. You cannot turn | | | | skeptical of what a manufacturer tells us on their |
| around without seeing the "new reformulated | | | | label. We all think we know that ingredients are |
| natural" concoction. It often will have some rare | | | | listed in order of their quantity. If we knew that |
| botanical you have never heard of that is the | | | | at the 1% level ingredients can be listed in any |
| latest miracle thing. The fact that we haven't | | | | order and we recognized that we don't know |
| heard of it makes it exotic. It's just all so | | | | where the 1% level begins on the list, wouldn't we |
| seductive. Corporations have even taken to | | | | be a bit more hesitant to purchase the aloe lotion |
| breaking synthetics down to their component | | | | just because it has aloe at the end of the list and |
| parts so that they can appear natural. Who has | | | | a big picture of an aloe vera plant on the cover. |
| time to really decode what they tell us? | | | | In short, (I know it's a little late for that) we have |
| It's time for humanity to find the time to consider | | | | to find a way to not allow marketers to exploit |
| ingredients and the ramifications of what they do. | | | | our fears and ignorance to the extent that we |
| We have let the convenience of products that | | | | are willing to leap head first into the abyss. Be |
| have indefinite shelf lives coddle us into turning a | | | | careful; read labels. |
| blind eye. We have let the pursuit of the fountain | | | | |