Why Natural?

What does natural actually mean? The term is frequently manipulated, misused, and misleading. A product may be marketed as natural even if it also contains synthetic ingredients. At Willow Botanicals, all natural literally means made from pure ingredients found in nature. We use pure plant oils, essences, and beeswax to formulate our scents and skincare products in small batches. We very carefully chose our natural ingredients with sustainability and fair trade in mind. We never add synthetics. Even our preservatives, when used, are derived from natural substances. We choose organically grown ingredients whenever possible. However, it is not always possible for small farmers worldwide to obtain official organic certification. When this is not possible, we ensure that those farmers are practicing sustainable methods. 

Unfortunately, natural products are uncommon in the global cosmetics industry, which exceeds $354.68 billion. If you look at skin and hair care products at your local drug store, you will notice they have huge lists of ingredients, most of which are hard to pronounce. A 2024 scientific review of the environmental and health effects of synthetics in the cosmetics industry found that many cosmetic products contain high levels of aluminum, lead, and other heavy metals, antibiotics, triclosan, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate, mineral oil, formaldehyde, and butylated compounds like butylated hydroxyanisole or butylated hydroxytoluene. Some of the more than 12,000 industrial chemicals used in cosmetics include carcinogens, insecticides, reproductive poisons, endocrine disruptors, plasticizers, degreasers, and surfactants. 

The cosmetics industry also has a significant environmental impact from start to finish. The extraction of materials needed to make chemicals, the release of synthetic materials into the environment, and the staggering amount of plastic waste in our landfills and oceans are significant issues.

Greater regulation of the cosmetic industry is critical and Congress passed the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act in 2022. The FDA is currently drafting policies and regulations for its implementation. This was the first cosmetics regulation act passed since 1938. It is a start, but it doesn’t go far enough to fully protect our health or the environment. 

One thing you can do is choose carefully which products you use and know what is in them. At Willow Botanicals, we lovingly make each product by hand using the best all-natural ingredients. You will find our ingredient lists short and easy to understand. You can use our products with confidence, knowing they are safe, good for you, and good for Mother Earth, too.

Note: While we are not strictly vegan (we use beeswax, for example), none of our ingredients harm any animals, and we do not test our products on animals. 

References

Food and Drug Administration. (2022). Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation. 
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/modernization-cosmetics-regulation-act-2022-mocra. Accessed January 16, 2026.

Fortune Business Insights. (2025).
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/cosmetics-market-102614. Accessed January 16, 2026.

Wirtu, Y., (2024). A review of environmental and health effects of synthetic cosmetics. 
Frontiers in Environmental Science 12. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1402893/full. Accessed January 16, 2026.