Debunking Common Myths about Chemicals in Personal Care Products

When it comes to personal care items, the majority of products seem to fall into one of two categories: natural (including organic or chemical-free) and traditional (man-made) products. The former tend to be more expensive with fewer filler items while the latter are the tried-and-true products our parents and grandparents used. Personal care raw materials supplier Bell Chem wishes to share vital information on how alike — and different — these two categories are.

Chemical-free products are automatically cleaner.

While this category seems innocuous enough, it faces deep scrutiny, since even water is a chemical. In fact, everything in the universe is composed of chemicals. These products may not have as many synthetic chemicals as their counterparts, but they still contain chemicals. The myth that chemicals are bad for you needs to be buried; science prevails. Many of the raw materials Bell Chem stocks are chemicals that prove to be beneficial to personal care, such as hydrogen peroxide for its oxidizing and antimicrobial properties in hair dyes and teeth whiteners, isopropyl alcohol for killing bacteria in skin astringents, and phosphoric acid to balance pH and stabilize personal care products. 

Organic products are always better for you. 

Organic ingredients are generally better for the environment and leave less of an environmental footprint in the short or long term. To deem a product organic means it has gone through a rigorous process to prove the sources of all its ingredients were raised organically before the combination could be labeled organic. In other words, if a product contains oat milk, the oats had to be raised in an organic farm using organic fertilizer, which means the animals involved in the organic fertilizer had to likewise be raised organically, eating organic feed. This lengthy trail leads to an increase in prices, but the products are better for the earth and generally better for consumers. Some of the organic ingredients offered by Bell Chem, like aloe vera powder and glycerine, can be easily incorporated into personal care products.  

Natural products are less harmful. 

This category is quite interesting since many “natural” elements can be highly toxic. Natural, in that respect, is simply a buzzword. On the other hand, “natural” versus “artificial” has a completely different meaning. When a manufacturer adds ingredients to its finished products that grow naturally rather than those created synthetically in a lab, the body may process the ingredients differently and benefit the end user. Looking closely at the product labels determines exactly what the manufacturer had in mind. Bell Chem’s natural products include acetone, the main ingredient in nail polish remover.

More chemicals means less quality.

Many companies are guilty of “greenwashing” their customers into believing their more expensive products are significantly better than their competitors’. Don’t be fooled by the hype. Bell Chem’s products have been thoroughly tested and are guaranteed to meet or exceed all quality control standards set forth by the FDA, DEA, EPA, and OSHA. Expect only the best when you purchase from Bell Chem. 

Bell Chem is a personal care raw materials supplier based in Longwood, FL (just north of Orlando) with hundreds of products stocked in their 50,000+ square-foot warehouse, including a vast supply of personal care ingredients. You can expect the highest quality products, expedited shipping options for maximum efficiency, and unrivaled personalized customer service. Let our knowledgeable and friendly customer service representatives and accounting staff personalize all your needs by either calling 407-339-BELL (2355) or by sending us an online message.