Hypoallergenic. All-Natural. Organic. For those of us who purchase toiletries, beauty products, shampoos and other cosmetic items, these are words we see often. Does “all-natural” mean there isn’t a single ingredient that is man-made? What exactly does hypoallergenic mean?
The truth is, in the health and beauty industry, there is little regulation of labeling, which gives companies the freedom to use well-known buzz words on their products in an effort to win over (or trick?) consumers. Even the term “organic” isn’t regulated in our field. Shocked? Are you ready for an even bigger surprise? The symbol you see nearly everywhere these days, isn’t either:
In a world where items we use nearly every day, on our hands, faces and bodies aren’t strictly regulated by a government agency, we made the choice when we started Freshends to be as transparent as possible. Why? Because transparency breeds trust, and we want our customers to feel confident that Freshends are what they say they are.
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Flushable (tested and proven!)
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Biodegradable (ditto!)
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Made using natural ingredients (we love our aloe!)
These are all descriptions that are accurate, authentic and ones we can stand by. We resisted using “paraben-free” on our label because there is a paraben in our wipes. Granted, the paraben in Freshends has the same, chemical makeup as the paraben found in a blueberry, but we wouldn’t expect people to be experts on parabens, so we opted to leave the very buzz-worthy “paraben-free” off. Bad business decision? We think not, because the trust and loyalty we’ve gained from our customers is absolutely invaluable, and without loyal customers, a business is just a building!
We do let our customers know that we’re constantly researching ways to make Freshends as natural and gentle as possible, and are happy to report that in our 6 years of business, we’ve never had a complaint – not one – of Freshends irritating skin in any way. That fact is more valuable than any buzz phrase we can put on our packaging.