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A while back I wrote an article on vegetable emulsifying wax<\/a>, an ingredient often used in cosmetics as an emulsifier to keep oil and water from separating.\u00a0 The post received several comments, and I got a few from some of my friends in the green beauty biz as well.<\/p>\n Let me start this post off by saying that, where natural cosmetics are concerned, there are certain ingredients that do not fall easily to one side of the fence or other.\u00a0 Meaning; some natural cosmetics experts may feel an ingredient is safe, while another would advise steering clear of the same ingredient.\u00a0 Such seems to be the case with vegetable emulsifying wax.<\/p>\n After talking with several people on the subject, and doing a little more research on my own, it appears that vegetable emulsifying wax ranks low on the list of ingredients to be wary of.\u00a0 Basically, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest level of concern, most green beauty experts would probably rate it around a 2.<\/p>\n Now, I am aware that I am opening a whole huge can of worms here.\u00a0 Those who disagree with the emulsifier being a safe cosmetic ingredient will most likely agree with my first post, the rest will probably side with me on this article.\u00a0 I am here to provide you with the information I have gathered.\u00a0 Please don\u2019t shoot the messenger.<\/p>\n So, is vegetable emulsifying wax an all natural ingredient?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Is it a super toxic ingredient that should be avoided at all costs, like phthlates or petro-chems?\u00a0 Probably not.<\/p>\n Terri Bly of Nature of Beauty <\/a>had this to say when I asked her about vegetable emulsifying wax.\u00a0 \u201cMy opinion is that on the list of evils in the world, this one rates quite low. While I know many emulsifying waxes are not natural, I have seen nothing to imply that they are at all dangerous. Usually, I look to see who is using them, what their values are, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n Terri makes an excellent point, and one that I point out to anyone who asks about the easiest route to finding safe cosmetic products.\u00a0 Go with a brand you can trust.\u00a0 Look at their information on ingredient policy and make sure they provide clear and complete ingredient listings.\u00a0 This is not fool-proof, but definitely a good starting point.<\/p>\n And lastly, is cetearyl alcohol safe or not?\u00a0 Cetearyl alcohol is actually fatty acids made from vegetable sources, like palm and coconut oils.\u00a0 Cetearyl alcohol can also be synthetically made.\u00a0 Obviously, the cetearyl alcohol produced from vegetables would be the safe one.\u00a0 I apologize to the gals who commented on my first post for the confusion.<\/p>\n When I asked Julie Gabriel, author of The Green Beauty Guide<\/a>, for her thoughts on alcohol in cosmetics and her stance on vegetable emulsifying wax she filled me in with the emulsifiers she uses in her recipes and products.\u00a0 You can view a transcript from Julie\u2019s new book, GREEN BEAUTY RECIPES, with a more in-depth look at how emulsifiers are made, how they work, and which ones are safe over at Organic Beauty Source<\/a>.\u00a0 And stay tuned, as I will be doing a review of her new book very soon!<\/p>\n The moral of this story:\u00a0 There are certain cosmetic ingredients that pretty much all green beauty gurus will agree are toxic and should be avoided.\u00a0 Then there are grey areas where ingredient safety is concerned.\u00a0 For those of you making your own cosmetics, I advise you do your own research and make choices on what ingredients you are comfortable using.\u00a0 As far as vegetable emulsifying wax goes, it looks like a relatively safe bet for now.\u00a0 But that is just my opinion.\u00a0 And you can bet there are others who feel differently.<\/p>\n Image:\u00a0 Margaret Anne Clarke at Flickr.com, Creative Commons license.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"