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Natural Product Association question…
I was on the NPA’s website trying to find information about activated charcoal and whether or not it’s considered natural under their standard. I didn’t see it listed on either the good-to-go or no-no list. Does anyone who’s worked with their standard before happen to know if it’s considered okay?
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3 Replies
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At the end of the day it’s a decision you will need to make yourself based on your own criteria, and you must be prepared to justify your decision.
I was the co-founder and Master Formulator for our skincare manufacturing company for 20 years. We manufactured and exported to brands globally. And I never relied on third-parties to make these sorts of decisions.
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Charcoal is just wood burned without oxygen. Charcoal is just ‘activated’ using steam - all it does is increase the surface area to increase absorption capacity.
I can’t see it in the NPA list, nor on Natrue. However, this would be acceptable by Natrue because Charcoal would be considered a natural product.
But if I were to look to the Australian definition of ‘natural’ it would include very few ingredients - even something as simple as Lavender oil would be considered synthetic because steam distillation does not exist in nature.
By all means use a natural standard - but it comes at a cost. Weigh up whether the cost of an external audit is outweighed by the sales of that product meeting that standard. If it does, it may not be worth it.
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Certainly, determining whether activated charcoal aligns with the Natural Product Association’s standards requires a nuanced evaluation. With your extensive experience in the skincare industry, relying on your own judgment and criteria, while being prepared to justify your decision, seems prudent.
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