Campaigners have warned that shoppers are being hoodwinked by organic beauty products laced with chemicals found in antifreeze, floor cleaners and engine oil . Shoppers are being hoodwinked by organic beauty products laced with chemicals found in antifreeze, floor cleaners and engine oil, campaigners warned last night. It said Boots, Nivea and other manufacturers misled the public. The Soil Association surveyed shampoos, creams and other toiletries labelled as being organic, natural or inspired by nature. Nivea was criticised for using an unofficial logo to proclaim its Pure And Natural hand cream as ’95 per cent natural’. However, the ingredients show it . contains methylisothiazolinone, a preservative found in window and floor . cleaners and air fresheners. The association said the chemical could cause cancer and is suspected of causing nerve damage. Boots Botanics – a skin care range which draws on the ‘power of plants’ – was also put under the microscope. Items . singled out included the facial oil, costing £9.99, which is labelled . as 100 per cent organic but was found to contain at least four . non-organic ingredients. US . firm Organix – a beauty company unconnected to the British baby food . manufacturer of the same name – was accused of ‘misleading marketing’. Although the brand name suggests products will be organic, its coconut shampoo does not contain any organic ingredients, and there were concerns that at least one component may cause cancer. Unlike organic food, the labelling of organic beauty products is not covered by law. However, there are voluntary certification schemes run by organisations, including the Soil Association. To qualify, certain chemicals are banned from products and all plant-based ingredients must have been grown organically. Peter Melchett, the Soil Association’s policy director, said the many companies that strive to meet the standards are being undermined by those that take shortcuts and make misleading claims. He added: ‘It is wrong that people are putting chemicals found in antifreeze, paint, oven cleaner and floor cleaner on their skin, when they thought they were buying a product made from only natural or organic ingredients. This must stop.’ The Soil Association surveyed shampoos, creams and other toiletries labelled as being organic, natural or inspired by nature . Nivea and Organix did not comment on the claims. Boots said any problems with its Botanics range were related to labelling and not the products themselves. A spokesman added: ‘The Botanics range uses the power of plants extracts with scientific formulations to create effective skin care products. We would like to reassure our customers that the ingredients in the Botanics Organic Facial Oil support a 100 per cent organic claim and Trading Standards approve our process. ‘The ingredient list on the packaging may not make this clear. We will look to rectify this immediately.’
Soil Association surveyed shampoos and creams labelled as organic .
Boots Botanics and Nivea skin care ranges criticised in findings .
'Pure and Natural' hand cream contained preservative methylisothiazolinone .
Chemical found in window cleaner and can cause cancer .
Campaigners have warned that shoppers are being hoodwinked by organic beauty products laced with chemicals found in antifreeze, floor cleaners and engine oil . Shoppers are being hoodwinked by organic beauty products laced with chemicals found in antifreeze, floor cleaners and engine oil, campaigners warned last night. It said Boots, Nivea and other manufacturers misled the public. The Soil Association surveyed shampoos, creams and other toiletries labelled as being organic, natural or inspired by nature. Nivea was criticised for using an unofficial logo to proclaim its Pure And Natural hand cream as ’95 per cent natural’. However, the ingredients show it . contains methylisothiazolinone, a preservative found in window and floor . cleaners and air fresheners. The association said the chemical could cause cancer and is suspected of causing nerve damage. Boots Botanics – a skin care range which draws on the ‘power of plants’ – was also put under the microscope. Items . singled out included the facial oil, costing £9.99, which is labelled . as 100 per cent organic but was found to contain at least four . non-organic ingredients. US . firm Organix – a beauty company unconnected to the British baby food . manufacturer of the same name – was accused of ‘misleading marketing’. Although the brand name suggests products will be organic, its coconut shampoo does not contain any organic ingredients, and there were concerns that at least one component may cause cancer. Unlike organic food, the labelling of organic beauty products is not covered by law. However, there are voluntary certification schemes run by organisations, including the Soil Association. To qualify, certain chemicals are banned from products and all plant-based ingredients must have been grown organically. Peter Melchett, the Soil Association’s policy director, said the many companies that strive to meet the standards are being undermined by those that take shortcuts and make misleading claims. He added: ‘It is wrong that people are putting chemicals found in antifreeze, paint, oven cleaner and floor cleaner on their skin, when they thought they were buying a product made from only natural or organic ingredients. This must stop.’ The Soil Association surveyed shampoos, creams and other toiletries labelled as being organic, natural or inspired by nature . Nivea and Organix did not comment on the claims. Boots said any problems with its Botanics range were related to labelling and not the products themselves. A spokesman added: ‘The Botanics range uses the power of plants extracts with scientific formulations to create effective skin care products. We would like to reassure our customers that the ingredients in the Botanics Organic Facial Oil support a 100 per cent organic claim and Trading Standards approve our process. ‘The ingredient list on the packaging may not make this clear. We will look to rectify this immediately.’
public. The Soil Association surveyed shampoos, creams and other toiletries labelled as being proclaim its Pure And Natural hand cream as ’95 preservative found in window and floor . cleaners causing nerve damage. Boots Botanics – a skin least one component may cause cancer. Unlike antifreeze, paint, oven cleaner and floor cleaner