(Green by Nature Starter Kit)
Judging by the name of the line, Green by Nature, it seems that it is a line that promotes all-natural ingredients. Indeed, this is one of their claims.
To be more specific, they claim that all their products are 91%- 99.9% natural and 100% paraben, sulfate, and DEA-free.
I have to say I am amazed that they are able to make this claim. It shows that no one is properly regulating the claims that cosmetics companies make.
All the six products in the Green by Nature Starter Kit have propylparaben in the ingredient lists, and five of them also have methylparaben. So none of these six products is paraben-free at all.
Personally, I am not adverse to parabens. Preservatives are essential in preventing bacterial and microbial contaminations in skincare products, especially for those that contain various extracts from natural ingredients. It is much more risky to use a contaminated product than to use one with parabens, which are considered to be less irritating than most other preservatives. Overall, parabens are a necessary evil.
Still, it is far from a precise claim that Green by Nature’s products are 100% paraben-free.
I understand why many people are specifically looking for paraben-free products. If you are one of them, products from Green by Nature are not what you want.
The Green by Nature Starter Kit includes:
Ginger Lemon Body Wash (30g)
Mint Green Tea Body Lotion (30g)
Almond Cocoa Body Butter (20g)
Banana Shea Hand Cream (10g)
Banana Shea Lip Butter (4.25g)
Peppermint Lip Shine (14g)
The ones I like are Mint Green Tea Body Lotion and Almond Cocoa Body Butter. Both leave the skin nicely moisturized. The butter-like texture of Almond Cocoa Body Butter is particularly good for dry patches.
Peppermint Lip Shine includes peppermint oil. While it can have antimicrobial properties, it is also considered to be a skin irritant (which did irritate my lips) and should be avoided in any skincare product.
If you are interested in knowing more about ingredients in cosmetics products, do have a look at these entries and article from Paula Begoun’s website, which quote and eloquently summarize unbiased independent scientific research:
parabens
DEA
preservatives
Updated on December 16, 2008:
After this review went up, I received the latest version of the Green by Nature Starter Kit along with two other tubes of Lip Glaze (formerly named Lip Shine), Cherry Mint and Strawberry Mint. The ingredient lists indicate that all the products are now paraben-free.
Like the Peppermint Lip Shine reviewed above, both Cherry Mint and Strawberry Mint Lip Glaze include peppermint oil, which, as mentioned above, should be avoided in skincare products.
