For manufacturers and consumers looking for a cutting-edge resource to source the good and bad ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products, the Natural Ingredients Dictionary by Aubrey Hampton is invaluable.A pioneer in the natural products industry, Hampton attributes his genius to his mother. A skilled herbalist who combined whole plants from flower heads to roots, she was a leader in formulating her own all-natural personal hair and skin products.

Hampton founded his company in 1967 with products reflecting the highest degree of product purity, long before the creation of organic standards in these categories. From the start, his company followed good manufacturing practices that exceeded the FDA requirements. With a firm commitment to list every natural ingredient in its most natural form on the label of every product, Aubrey Organics has been a respected innovator and industry leader for more than forty years.

Hampton notes that he originally named his company “Aubrey Organics” because of his desire to create a line of products made exclusively with unadulterated ingredients from nature. He wanted to offer safe and healthy alternatives to many of the petrochemical and synthetic products on the market.

The Natural Ingredients Dictionary is a treasure. Drawing on Hampton's life-long experience formulating his own products from organic plant and herb extracts, many of his unique and innovative discoveries were later adopted throughout the industry. The book also includes an extensive glossary of common terms to help simplify ingredient label reading at home or while you shop.

Hampton urges readers to be vigilant label readers and to buy products intelligently and mindfully, searching out those products with the highest level of product purity. A list of Ten Synthetic Ingredients to Avoid is a must-read for anyone concerned about safe, healthy cosmetics, shampoos, bodycare, skin lotions, soaps, bath products and more. Synthetic colors, synthetic fragrances, petrolatum, sodium laurel sulfate, as well as the paraben preservatives used to extend shelf life are some of the “baddies” which careful formulators and shoppers will want to avoid.

Hampton wrote and coauthored a number of books to help consumers and manufacturers wade through the sea of possible and often unfamiliar ingredients in natural products. His books include Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care, What's in Your Cosmetics, and The Take Charge Beauty Book available from Organica Press at Aubrey Organics.

Simi Summer, PhD is an organic advocate, independent researcher, educator, and freelance writer. She is a strong proponent of organic consumer education and informed consumer choices.

Posted 6/15/2015