Category
Beauty & Skin
Natratouch by Apropos organic feminine products review
To continue the discussion I started about natural feminine products I went in search of a better healthier pantiliner and I decided to purchase these from Amazon. A lot of natural products had poor reviews with regard to either staying put or with regards to actually protecting underwear. These didn’t have a lot of reviews but they weren’t all bad so I bought them.
However there is something off about these. Maybe I’m just sensitive to scams but I’m finding it sincerely hard to believe that these are organic and are chlorine free. They are perfume free … or at least lacking any obvious scent. But there IS a chemicallyness to them. Enough that I’m not going to use them. Enough that when I opened one up just to check it out Tim turned pink (which he does around certain chemicals) and then felt bad the rest of the evening. Eeeeee.
I did go ahead and take some photos though for those of you who are interested in shape and size and adhesive. Click any of the below for a larger view.
So I started researching based on the information on the box.
- Made by Apropos – which is a company based in the US. Ok so far so good.
- USA material – that doesn’t tell me what they do to the product once it’s out of this country so even if it starts as organic cotton pulp then who knows what they do to it later.
- Korea Technology … what does this even mean?
- and made in Shanghai – China … these are made in CHINA
So here’s the deal and why I’m really skeptical. There’s this thing with Chinese manufacturing where if they can get one up on you it’s your loss and their gain, too bad for you. So much so that there are stories about people asking what a product is made of and the manufacturer’s response is “what do you want the box to say it’s made of?” So for a product to come from China you need someone who is working on your behalf to ensure that the product is in fact what it claims to be if that’s your goal.
So going back to the pantiliners I bought from Natratouch / Apropos…
So I started looking for certifiers. Things that would be 3rd party approval of a product where the product could be verified. Organic verification? Nope.
So what kinds of certifier or codes do we have that we can research?
Certified number CU-810251
What does this bring up?
- http://certification.controlunion.com/ But neither Natratouch nor Apropos exist in their database of products certified. And the next link might be why:
- http://www.kr900657490.fm.alibaba.com/product/124458913-102986238/Organic_pads_Pantiliner_sanitary_pad_.html This is a listing for wholesale pantiliners on Alibaba which is a giant international marketplace. The certified number applies to a selection of products from and Unverified Supplier – J2LFA CO LTD. So this leads me to:
- http://ocbons.com/ So here we have the actual company. Apropos Natratouch is repackaging and rebranding a Korean product. This isn’t the end of the world but it does give us more detail than what we started with.
NOW the certifiers again: I’m impressed that they have actually linked to these things because that will speed up the research process. http://ocbons.com/01_company/03_certification.php
- Texas organic cotton: this is actually a marketing cooperative, not a certifier. It does however require members to be certified organic under the United States Department of Agriculture National Organic Program (USDA-NOP.) So bonus points here. BUT back to two points: 1) is the cotton really from this cooperative 2) what is done to the cotton after it leaves the supplier?
- Control Union: so then we’re back to this certifier. And this time we should be looking for J2LFA CO LTD. (or maybe their product: Organic Bon or OCBon or OC Bon.) It does turn up with two types of certification: http://certification.controlunion.com/SearchResult.aspx?Project_Name=J2LFA&Project_ID=0 but then I ran into a dead end because it wants a username and password to get more info than this:
So now my next question is Control Union, is IT a legit certifier or is it one of those companies intended to look like a legit certifier exists so that people are more comfortable buying products?
More research is needed….
But bottom line for me is that although this might be healthier than some of the feminine products on the market, I just don’t trust it to be what it says it is. Or at least don’t trust it to not have other harmful chemicals in it. These products aren’t required to list their ingredients like food is. And like supplements, there’s no safety check to even see if the ingredients listed are the ingredients in the product. Or no check on the organic either. Labeling fraud isn’t uncommon. H&M was caught labeling clothes as organic when they weren’t by an organization in Germany. I don’t at this point in time have the means to get these products tested by a lab so if there’s anything off I’m just going to have to trust my gut. My gut and nose says that these aren’t healthy.
PS – and Natratouch is NOT the same brand as Natracare!!! Nartracare is a brand that many of the co-op groceries carry. I haven’t researched them to know for sure but they are clearly a more mainstream brand than this is. And Natratouch is clearly trying to be mistaken for this other brand. They have clearly mimicked another brand here.
So the next thing I think I might explore … cotton reusable pantiliners combined with fashion tape. Since one of the main complaints about the cotton reusable liners is that they don’t stay put. The adhesive and toxicity of that is something else to address BUT in small amounts and not against the skin, a less toxic adhesive might be an appropriate compromise.
UPDATE – I gave up on pantyliners entirely. I’m starting to use the diva cup a little bit before I think I’ll have my period and I bought a few more pairs of underwear and wear the ones that are already kinda too old around that time of the month. No problems and not even any underwear that needed to be trashed. I’ve also bought a pair of period panties to try but still haven’t done that. I know that doesn’t really help those of you just getting started with the diva cup and in need of something during that learning period (haha get it) but this was what the solution was for me.
Speaking of getting more natural in our products…
Let’s talk about feminine hygiene products!
So technically this might not exactly fit with the general topics of this blog but since I do talk about the quality of the things you put on your skin, I wanted to post about this so that you are more aware of some options you might not know about.
We often start off just assuming that pads and tampons are our only good choices when it comes to that time of the month. And while I haven’t switched to cloth pads or panty liners, I did switch about 6 years ago to using a menstrual cup. The Diva Cup to actually give you the info on the brand I use. Regular commercial tampons are just really not healthy for you. Technically neither are the bleached and chemically processed pads and panty liners (though those are better than tampons usually.) Not to mention that the scented ones are even worse for you.
Since I don’t want to personally explain all of the details (and in fact there are people who have done WAY more research than I have on the topic) I’m going to share with you the following very helpful video.
This is basically an excellent half hour crash course on menstrual cups that goes into a lot more detail about the who what when where and why of everything as well as including some options I haven’t used personally.
And one other thing to note: I DO use a pantiliner for spotting just so any tiny rare bit that escapes the menstrual cup doesn’t ruin my underwear. It’s not been much after getting used to using the cup but it is enough to ruin your favorite gray pair of undies (or at least I can’t seem to ever get the stains out. I only wear cotton undies. I think if I wore nylon or some of the other materials, washing them out would be less of a problem.)
One of the things that’s been concerning me lately though has been the adhesives on the pads. I have actually broken out in a rash on my thigh before when one wasn’t fully stuck to my underwear. It didn’t stick to my skin but the exposure to the adhesive seemed to actually cause the rash. Which I can also say I’ve had that problem with a few select bandaides as well depending on where they are on my body (finger seems to never be a problem – leg I seem to have more of a reaction.) Some adhesives just seem more toxic than others.
Adhesive is an arena where it’s a balancing act between convenience and chemicals. So I just ordered some organic cotton panitliners to try … though there’s absolutely zero info on its adhesive even there. I have such a hard time finding underwear that I love that I just haven’t yet explored the non-adhesive fabric pantiliner options. There are a few out there. Though even fewer if you wear thong underwear.
So to recap:
- Watch the video above – you will thank me.
- Pick out and try a menstrual cup. You may even find that cramping is far less after a couple of months with a cup so if you are switching from using tampons there’s some additional incentive there to give this a shot.
- Pads & Pantiliners: Check out more organic options when it comes to pads and definitely skip anything scented OR check out the cloth pantiliner options. You can however use a menstrual cup before you start your period if you’re fairly regular so if you want to skip pads altogether it is possible.
Update Aug 2015:
I gave up on pads and liners with the diva cup and everything has been fine. I’m just little more careful with positioning it and there are no leaks. I did buy a few extra pairs of underwear that would be cheap to replace though just in case.
There’s also something else I just saw that people might want to try, period panties:
- http://www.buzzfeed.com/sarahburton/i-reached-menstrual-zen
- http://www.shethinx.com/collections/period-panties
Ipsy glambag February 2015 including EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics database scores
CARGO Cosmetics Mini Lip Gloss in Anguilla – no cones, no fragrance added, no parabens. I have high hopes for this one and it’s not too bad at a 3 with the EWG skin deep cosmetics database. I’m looking forward to trying this one and it’s a really nice basic shade as well that looks like it would work well with a lot of skin tones – very neutral but maybe a little bit light depending on how opaque it ends up being.
Eva NYC Up All Night Volumizing Spray – dimethicone rules this one out for me. It also has fragrance though and diazolidinyl urea (formaldehyde releaser) though and this ranks a 7 with the EWGEWG Environmental Working Group - an organization focused on research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. skin deep cosmetic database so I wouldn’t want to use this anyway.
Hey Honey Take It Off! Exfoliating Honey Peel Off Mask – the only negative ingredient I see on the list here is fragrance. Since all the other ingredients are all natural I decided to go see if I could find anything on the company site that might indicate natural or essential oils used as fragrance instead of synthetic (ingredient labels have certain requirements and lump all “fragrance” under the same label.) While they do have a very thorough rundown of the ingredients, fragrance is not specifically addressed in any of the main sections that would or could normally address this. Thus I’m going to have to assume it is in fact a synthetic fragrance. That said, there are some other ingredients that are “harmful” according to EWG that are included because this is in fact an exfoliating peel. A peel SHOULD take off some layers on purpose but because of some of the ingredients, it gets a higher score even though I would still consider this a fairly healthy product. It ranks a 5 with the skin deep cosmetics database. This is why I always take the EWG scores with a grain of salt. I’m going to give this one a shot … after sniffing it to make sure the scent isn’t going to trigger my sinus allergies of course.
ModelCo BLUSH Cheek Powder in Peach Bellini – no cones, no fragrance, no parabens. But it does have paraffin and talc … neither of which feels right on my skin anymore for some reason. BUT this ranks pretty well with the cosmetics database at a 3. So although I probably won’t be trying this, it is healthy. Also another reason I typically don’t jump for joy over blush is that I have naturally rosy cheeks so I tend to stick with bronzer. Blushes tend to make me look a little …. overdone or clown-like and that’s not even about the quality or shade but my own skin. It IS however a really nice shade so if blush is your thing you might want to give this one a shot.
“Pencil Me In” Cosmetics Natural Eye Liner Pencil in Amethyst (purple) – no cones, no fragrances, no parabens, everything is looking good. But apparently vitamin A brings this one’s score down – it ranks a 4 with the skin deep cosmetics database. This is yet another score I’m going to take a grain of salt. I’m going to try this product especially since I don’t think purple is going to be a shade I wear daily.
And the bag this month is super cute. 🙂
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Birchbox February 2015 “Rent the Runway” box including EWG Skin Deep scores for each of the products
This month I chose the “Rent the Runway” box because none of the other sample options were appealing and I really wanted to try the derma e glycolic scrub. I was also kinda crossing my fingers that there might be a beauty blender in the box that they hadn’t mentioned … but that wasn’t the case.
Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner in Raina (a navy blue) – no cones, no frangrance, no parabens. It does have paraffin which I have mentioned feels weird on my skin … when it’s in blushes or eyeshadows or foundations but since eyeliner is such a small amount I’m fine with it as of of the ingredients here. So the other ingredient that’s a problem is one that I think may have been mistyped. “Isodecodane” seems to be a typo. The closest I get for that is “Isododecane” which is the ingredient that shows up for Sumita eyeliner on the Glossybox website. So this scores a very healthy 2 with the EWGEWG Environmental Working Group - an organization focused on research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. skin deep Cosmetics Database. I’m looking forward to trying this one!
derma e® Anti-Wrinkle Vitamin A Glycolic Scrub – so you know how I’ve mentioned that some of the scores should be taken with a grain of salt? This would be one of them. The “fragrance” in this case is from a natural source (oils) and the vitamin A … it’s supposed to be in this product. Your skin will be more sensitive after using this because it IS a scrub. So even though this ranks a 6 with the Cosmetics Database, I’m looking forward to trying it. In my opinion the fact that it was docked points for two ingredients isn’t a problem in this case. Yes, you should be aware you may more easily burn in the sun after using any scrub, exfoliant or peel.
Fekkai Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo – no cones, no parabens but it does have added fragrance. The last dry shampoo I tried almost killed me with the fragrance. The ingredients are fairly simple though so let’s just check the ranking with EWG to see if anything else throws up red flags here. Isobutane which is what makes this an aerosol spray is also fairly toxic at a 7 on it’s own. So between the 8 it gets for fragrance and the aerosol delivery it brings the score down to a 5. Not the worst I’ve seen but also not the best I’ve seen. I may sniff and try this … but I’m not sure. It does make me think that surely someone could make a nice healthy dry shampoo though. One that also doesn’t turn brown hair white (which is another problem I’ve encountered with dry shampoos … throwing some corn starch into blond hair might work but not so much on brown hair.)
Not Soap, Radio Body Wash in “the stuff that Cupid dips his arrows in” – so no cones, no parabens BUT it does have fragrance added. And coloring (for a body wash is this really neccessary?) And DMDM Hydantoin (Formaldehyde releaser). So although the total score is only a 4 I’m not jumping up and down to try this product. Meh. Could be worse, could be better. Not going to be adding this to my daily staples anytime soon though.
theBalm® cosmetics Read My Lips™ Lip Gloss in “Bam! – Rose Pink” – no cones, no fragrance, no parabens. But it does have added flavor (usually these are going to be synthetic flavors) and it does have Vitamin A in it. In this case the product is left on the skin so having something that increases skin sensitivity and is worn doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. BUT it also contains a sunscreen (titanium dioxide) so maybe it kinda crosses itself out. This is the kind of thing that the EWG score doesn’t take into consideration. So I’m on the fence on this one. I’m not a fan of added synthetics anything in any product and I suspect that’s the case here with the “flavor/aroma.” So while I debate, feel free to make up your own mind. The EWG score for this is a 5.
So there’s also a coupon code for $30 off a $75+ rental from Rent the Runway in here too. And you know what? They have accessories and purses which I don’t remember seeing the last time I checked out this company.
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Don’t you just hate it when your foundation is discontinued?
It is SO frustrating when the foundation makeup you use is discontinued. It’s not only the shade that you have to match but also the consistency that works with your skin type that makes it SO hard to find right foundation for you in the first place. Something that lasts and looks good all day, is natural looking AND made from healthy ingredients is even harder to find.
Right now the product I use daily (Sand Jojoba base) has been sent off to the new “vintage” section but my history with Everyday Minerals involves them discontinuing the very product I use and it’s happened more than once now.
Someone has already asked which shade in the new line is equivalent and although I appreciate their honesty, it’s also frustrating that there is no equivalent to this shade in the new line.
I have submitted that question though asking whether or not they are expecting to discontinue it in the foreseeable future. We’ll see if they respond.
But if the answer is that they think they might discontinue it then I’m probably going to give up and jump ship for something that’s a little more consistent. Probably the W3LL People foundation stick even though I’ve grown fond of powder foundations and haven’t wanted to go back to a cream.
3 times … If Everyday Minerals discontinues the Sand jojoba base this will be the third time they’ve discontinued my staple foundation / base shade and made me have to find a new one.(They’ve also discontinued several of my favorite bronzers over the years as well.) I love their products but this is just one of those items I don’t want to HAVE to find a replacement shade for. Foundation is a staple and not something I change up. Even with samples though it’s a pain to go through and test. I AM ordering samples of the new jojoba base though… probably because I’m a sucker… or at least I feel like a sucker…
UPDATE: fingers crossed… they’re going to continue to make small batches of this foundation…
