WAHM Forums

Has anybody had people question you regarding the ingredients in the B.C. products? I am about to host my first party on Sunday. My friend is hosting and she noted that one of her guests that plans to attend is coming for fun, but she doesn't plan to buy anything (that is fine with me - my main objective for this party is to get practice - if anybody buys, bonus!). Anyway, this guest apparently went to our website to find out about the ingredients, but they're not posted. I have another friend that was considering hosting, but she declined after she wasn't able to get a complete list of ingredients (she's very much into her health and knowing what she's putting on or into her body, which I completely respect.) She did research and found that some of our products contain parabens. I researched parabens and learned that they're a preservative widely used in the cosmetics & pharmaceutical industries. They're considered to be non-toxic, but there have been some controversial studies recently. (I believe quite a bit of make-up/facial products do). Here is one exerpt:

"One controversial scientific study reports that parabens were found in samples
of breast tumors.<sup ="reference" id="_ref-7">[9] (#_note-7)</sup> The validity of the conclusions of this study have
been debated in the scientific literature.<sup ="reference" id="_ref-Harveyetal_0">[10] (#_note-Harveyetal)</sup>
Nevertheless, this study has fueled the belief that parabens in underarm
deodorants or other cosmetics migrated into the breast tissue and contributed to
the development of the tumors. However, no causal link with cancer has ever been
proven and so far there is no scientific evidence to support any link with any
form of cancer."

I'm not really concerned, personally, but I'm curious as to how to handle such questions and concerns with clients. Is there a way to provide a list of ingredients for our clients. If not, how come?

Sorry for the long explanation, but I'd appreciate any insight you all might have. I want to be prepared for my first Spa!!

Thank you!!!

Isn't there a full ingred. list in our product guide? I just got mine today :) so haven't fully read it yet, but that is what I was understanding. Also I hear that head office is great at advising on ingr. but you don't have time for that route as your spa is sunday.

Good luck!

I've pulled the list of ingredients from the consultant website for a few friends who are also very into health and ingredients. I do agree that these should be accessible on our personal web pages. I typically do not purchase from a company if I can't see the ingredients. It makes me wonder what they are hiding.
All you can say is yes this product contains such and such or no it does not. There really is no changing the mind of people who live green. (I say this gently, I have several close friends who live green and have taught me a lot about cleaning the chemicals out of my life, but right now I can't give up everything!) Basically anything that contains chemicals they will try and stay away from.
if you go to cosmeticdatabase.com you can search a lot of skin care products and it will tell you all the ingredients and what each ingredient does or possibly does. Parabens are a preservative and mask mal odors in cosmetics, some studies do show that they are toxic to our body systems. But nothing is conclusive yet.

Thanks for the input - I very much agree with all that you had to say. I, too, try and be fairly careful of what I do to my body and the environment, but I know I'm not completely chemical free. I just want to respect concerns such as these from friends/clients/etc. I will check out the website you posted and see what else I can find out.

Thanks again...this website/forum has been so helpful and informative!!

I remember Gary talking about this at a meeting I went to once, but to be honest I didn't pay much attention to that part...sorry...I know one of the things he says is that our products are the best of science and nature...if a product was completely organic it would have to stay in the fridge and would only last a few days...

okay so I went and looked up my notes from that meeting...like I mentioned before I kind of tuned him out during this part because I wasn't really tht interested...but I do have written down that he said that parabens are safe in small doses and that their purpose is to keep products safe...HTH

i don't think BeautiControl is trying to hide anything. if someone asks me about ingredients, I just look it up on BeautiNet and email it to them. i looked at several skin care/hair care/personal care product website for different companies, most of them do not list the ingredients on their sites, even the so called natural ones. i do think it would be nice if they were on our websites, but it is not unusual that they are not.
i have some concern about parabens and other toxic products as well. one of the main concerns with parabens and women was from deodarant, so i did switch to a paraben free deodorant.
i think our products are great and overall very safe when used as directed, so i will continue using them. i trust BeautiControl to always be researching the best ingredients and staying up to date with safety and health concern.
not everyone is going to like our products, it does not mean that they are bad products.

this is taken from Gary Jones, it is sort of relevant to this discussion

"

How does
BeautiControl compare to Arbonne?</span>

</span>

The beauty of this exciting industry is that there is room
for every company to co-exist, offering individualized products to address
individual consumer needs. </span>As today’s
consumer becomes for exposed to the benefits and necessity of cosmetics, their
expectations become more and more varied.
</span>As a result, a “one size fits all” product line is a thing of the past. </span></span>

</span>

BeautiControl's
product positioning is to develop very high tech products that compete with
today's serious skin repair market.
</span>BeautiControl’s product positioning is “Science as Nature Intended”,
meaning that we use extensive botanically derived ingredients in our
formulations in addition to the latest ingredients that technology allows for
the prevention and repair of skin damage.
</span></span>

</span>

Arbonne is a company that has good products that appeal to a
certain type of consumer. Arbonne has chosen to take a conservative,
"botanically based" product positioning that is very safe and
conservative.</span>



There are several types of consumers in
today's world - There are those that do not want change, there are those that
want to cosmetics that are derived from natural or organic sources, and there
are those that want the latest that science and technology has to offer in
order to achieve more aggressive anti-aging benefits. </span>

I feel that Arbonne has a good product that directly
addresses the needs of their target market. </span>

</span>

Below are some comparison claims between Arbonne and
BeautiControl. </span>Every person has
different expectations of their skin care products. </span>It is important to find the product line that
best represents what the consumer is looking for in skin care treatments. </span>The success of a product line is based on its
ability to address the concerns of the client."</span>



<h1>All Natural :</h1>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" ="disc"><li ="Msonormal" style="color: black;">Neither
BeautiControl or Arbonne make “all natural” or “organic” claims regarding
products. </span></span>While we include
many natural ingredients in all of our products, we do not market our
products as "all-natural".
</span>The claim "all natural" is a misnomer, in fact. </span>According to governmental regulations,
"all natural" would imply that 100% of the ingredients are from
a natural source. </span></span>[/list]

</span>

Botanically based:</span>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" ="disc"><li ="Msonormal" style="color: black;">Both
BeautiControl and Arbonne use an extensive and similar amount of
botanically derived ingredients.
</span>“botanical based” is really more of a marketing term that is
relative only to the positioning of the product and it’s ability to target
a particular consumer.[/list]

</span>

PH Correct:</span>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" ="disc"><li ="Msonormal" style="color: black;">All
reputable companies will formulate a product regimen to maintain the
correct pH balance of the skin.
</span>This is the reason that it is recommended to use a complete regimen
of products from the same company to ensure that the products are designed
to work together.[/list]

</span>

Dermatologist, Sensitivity and
Allergy Tested (hypoallergenic):</span></span>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" ="disc"><li ="Msonormal" style="color: black;">Both
Arbonne and BeautiControl test product for this claim. </span>This is a standard claim to ensure the
safety of a product.[/list]

</span>

No Animal Testing:</span>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" ="disc"><li ="Msonormal" style="color: black;">Neither
BeautiControl or Arbonne test products on animals.<li ="Msonormal" style="color: black;">BeautiControl
does use Emu oil on a limited basis for several of our body care
formulations. </span>Emu oil is purchased
as a by products of the meat packing industry. </span>No animals are killed or harmed for the
sole purpose of their oils.[/list]

</span>

Mineral Oil, Synthetic
fragrances or dyes:</span>

<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" ="disc"><li ="Msonormal" style="color: black;">Arbonne
claims not to use mineral oil, synthetic fragrances or dyes in their
formulations. </span>BeautiControl does
not make this claim. </span>There are
instances where we use synthetic fragrance ingredients to cover raw
materials in the formulation that might posses a mal odor in the
formulation. </span>The term “fragrance”
implies that multiple ingredients were used to create the scent of the
product. </span>Many of those ingredients
are natural, while some might be chemically manufactured.<li ="Msonormal" style="color: black;">BeautiControl
uses mineral oil in product designed to target very dry skin conditions,
and offers oil-free options for our consumers who are looking for oil-free
product option. </span>We use a
pharmaceutical grade of mineral oil – the same grade that is used in
prescriptions for extreme dry skin conditions. </span>While there are alternate oils, (many of
which we use), there are none that have been proven to be more effective
for those suffering from extremely dry skin symptoms.<li ="Msonormal" style="color: black;">BeautiControl
only uses colorants and ingredients that are approved for cosmetic
use. </span>These ingredients are proven
to be safe and effective[/list]


</span>