Helen says: I`ve been told the new Paul Penders Natural Organic Products are better because they`re cold processed. Is this true? The Left Brain gleefully responds:
If you`re worried about truthfulness in Penders products, cold processing is the least of your concerns. There`s so much bad science involved with this line, I don`t even know where to start. But I guess I`ll force myself¦
First, for those of you who might now know, Paul Penders is based in the Netherlands and has been selling natural cosmetics for over 35 years. There`s certainly nothing wrong with that, but when a company makes claims that seem to be without a solid scientific foundation, I feel compelled to comment.
I`ll begin with the cold processing comment. According to his website, Penders says Normally, cosmetics are heat processed in temperatures that can exceed 40 degrees C. But this type of processing can significantly diminish the effectiveness of many active ingredients. While it`s true that some cosmetics are heated above 40 degrees C, that isn`t necessarily a problem. All you have to do is add the heat sensitive ingredients to the formula after it cools down. Problem solved. Cold processing sounds good, but it`s really just a marketing gimmick.
The next big issue in my mind is the emphasis on natural raw materials. Besides a host of extracts, the products contain colloidal gold and silver that actively and naturally sustain healthy skin. That`s just ridiculous. There`s no evidence that gold or silver is beneficial for skin.
Penders also claims that all of the new Natural Organic Products are holistically and ethically produced, with no chemical colors, foam-boosters, emulsifiers, or harsh preservatives. At a glance, at least one of these claims is not quite true: his Natural Organic Low Suds shampoo uses laureth decyl polyglucose, a corn-derived surfactant that is most certainly used to boost foam. But hey, it`s got 22 natural herbs and it`s only $17.00 per bottle, that`s less than $1.00 per herb!
Finally, we`re not sure what holistically produced products are, but we question the ethics of fear-mongering and misleading consumers with overpriced promises.
If you like this kind of stuff then you`ll love reading Paul`s website. My favorite is the story of Paul`s Night Shampoo Parties where he stood strong against the chemists who urged him to add chemical emulsifiers to his products. Puh-lease!
The Beauty Brains Bottom Line:
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. If Pender has evidence of efficacy of these natural ingredients we`d be glad to review it.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Just for information purposes, I am an herbalist and “Holistically” means that the whole of the herb is used with all the balances and checks that the herb contains which stops sideeffects, other than allergies some people may have to them, rather than the way drugs are made from only part of the herb which then creates sideeffects. Such as Foxglove has digitalis in it and if used as the whole plant, you would not get the side effects that you do when you place straight digitalis on your tongue. Willow Tree Bark is another example. It has the aspirin chemicals in it and used as a whole herb (holistically”) there aren’t the side effects you get from aspirin. This was a decision made a long time ago to support the process of breaking down chemicals in herbs and using the concentrate without the good parts of the plants or herbal medicine. The English chose more toward herbs to be backed financially, and most of the other politicians decided to go with the present day method.
Carole, thanks for the information. It makes sense. I’m not sure how ‘holistically’ that Pender’s products are because they contain ingredients like Aloe Extract. By definition an extract does not use the whole plant. Only the things that are soluble in the solvent (propylene glycol most likely) make up an extract.
Carole: My remarks were meant to be tongue in cheek, but I do appreciate your comments. You’re right that certain herbs do have well documented medicinal properties, but they don’t do much for hair which is dead. Thanks for being part of the Beauty Brains community!
I so believe in reading labels, and becoming familiar with what organic ingredients are and what they are not.
I hate companies that claim what is not true, and think that we are stupid. Most consumers, especially those seeking natural and organic products take the time to be educated consumers.
Thank you for setting more people straight on Pender’s products.