As more and more people become aware of environmental issues and safety concerns, it is no surprise that there has been a seismic shift toward natural products. The move away from synthetic, mass manufactured (and marketed) consumption is growing by leaps and bounds, especially now that the Green movement has become a mainstream issue. A shining example of this shift is the personal care industry.

By focusing on making products that positively impact the health and well-being of both consumers and the environment, the personal care industry has set natural products at the forefront of the market's development. The natural personal care industry is growing at a rate five times that of regular personal care products. With such rapid ascendancy, care must be taken to ensure that we as an industry deliver on all of the benefits inherent in natural products.

And so first, a question that is of equal concern for both consumers and manufacturers: What is Natural?

Up until now, assurance of whether a personal care product were actually "natural" or not was a very difficult thing to know for sure, much less to figure out while browsing items in a store aisle. The natural personal care industry has been without a clear, authoritative third-party definition of what may be represented as a "natural" product and what may not. In order to help consumers navigate personal care product choices, The Natural Products Association has developed a natural standard for personal care products.

By working with the organizations responsible for manufacturing natural care products, the NPA has developed detailed standards for the industry production, making it simple to identify products which meet the standard set forth. All products which meet the necessary requirements will receive the Natural Products Association Seal of Certification, making the items quickly and easily identifiable for consumers as a verified natural personal care product.

"This seal is a great service to shoppers who want truly natural products because they care about what they put on their skin," said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Natural Products Association. "With this seal, shoppers can be confident that the product is natural, safe, responsible and sustainable. From now on, when you see this seal, you'll know it's real."

The following are some of the principal criteria for NPA certification:

• The product must be made up of at least 95% truly natural ingredients that are derived from natural sources
• There are to be no ingredients with any potential suspected human health risks
• There can be no processes in the manufacturing of the product that significantly or adversely alter the purity/effect of the natural ingredients
• Ingredients must come from a purposeful, renewable/plentiful source found in nature (flora, fauna, mineral)
• Manufacturing processes must be minimal and not use synthetic/harsh chemicals or otherwise dilute purity
• Unnatural ingredients are acceptable only when viable natural alternative ingredient are unavailable and there are absolutely no suspected potential human health risks