Happy Monday, lovelies!
Connie here. Today, I’ll be writing about some of the most common misconceptions I hear about the term “natural”. There is a lot of cynicism around brands that market themselves as natural, and for good reason. It’s hard to believe, but there is very little regulation around the term “natural”.
With low regulation and an abundance of greenwashing in the industry, discerning consumers are definitely more skeptical of “natural”, “clean”, “and “green beauty”, to name a few. I wanted to take some time today to run through common concerns/misconceptions, and how we are addressing them at Three Ships.
Misconception #1: Natural is just a marketing tactic
When you hear stats like 60% of products applied topically are absorbed into the body, it definitely makes you pause. Natural beauty products aren’t very strictly regulated by Health Canada, the federal institution that helps Canadians maintain and improve their health. “There are no Canadian organic or natural standards for personal care products. In fact, cosmetics in general are not well regulated in North America,” says Dr. Sandy Skotnicki, medical director of the Bay Dermatology Centre. With low regulations, it’s easy for many brands to market themselves as clean, but actually hide synthetics in their ingredients. One common tactic is to funnel all chemical ingredients in the term “fragrance” on the ingredient label. Sneaky, right?
What we often recommend is to pick up a product and read the entire ingredient list for two reasons.
- Determine how clean the ingredients actually are. You can cross-check them against databases like EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database and Think Dirty.
- Decipher if there is a level of greenwashing involved in the product marketing. Many brands will coin hero ingredients like Vitamin C or CBD in a product, but only include a miniscule concentration of that ingredient in the product. If it’s near the end of the ingredient list, it’s probably not doing much for your skin.
At Three Ships, we list the ingredients that we will never use, such as phthalates, parabens, sulfates, artificial colors/flavors, artificial preservatives, fillers, and animal by-products. We’re also certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny, an internationally recognized establishment that guarantees consumers that no animal tests were used in the development of our products.
Misconception #2: Natural is expensive
The second concern I often hear from customers and friends is that natural is very expensive. It’s true, many customers pay a premium for more natural products. Oftentimes these products are just repackaging oils and marking up the price by +95%. In November 2016, we started working on the initial concept for Three Ships because we weren’t able to afford many of the clean brands on the market, but still wanted to use all-natural products. Our mission is to make natural beauty accessible to everyone. As such, our products are affordably priced, with everything <$40 USD.
Misconception #3: Natural doesn’t work
A final misconception that I hear is that natural just doesn’t work as effectively as synthetic brands. To this, I say… check out some of the reviews of our products!
The processes for extracting and refining natural ingredients have improved drastically over the past decade.
When we’re developing new products, we’re constantly on the hunt for the latest and best natural ingredients. We recently discovered an ingredient that helps moisturize skin better than hyaluronic acid, due to its mighty water holding capacity. The particles are also smaller than traditional hyaluronic acid, so it penetrates the skin more easily. We will always focus on creating innovative products with exceptional results, while staying true to our all-natural roots.
I hope I helped appease a few common concerns surrounding natural beauty! Feel free to leave a comment below, DM us on Instagram, or email us at hello@threeshipsbeauty.com if you have any questions!
