Beauty on a budget: Figs & Rouge Tinted Lip Balm

As a lot of my regular readers will know, I aim to buy more natural products when it comes to make up - paraben free, organic and ethically sourced as much as possible.

Obviously there are some exceptions to this, but if I see something advertised as natural, I will pick that over the other products available.

So I was happy to find a pure and natural tinted lip balm in the June Glossybox. I used it for weeks, almost every day, assuming it was full of good stuff that would make my lips soft and lovely.

And then I showed my boss at work, and she took a look at the ingredients, something I'd not even thought to do seeing as '100% PURE, 100% NATURAL' was plastered all over the tube.

Here's what we discovered:

Cherry Blossom Tinted Lip Balm - Ricinus Communis Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Copernica Cerifera Wax, Parfum, CI 45380, CI 15850, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene.

Ricinus Communis Oil - A fancy way of saying Castor Oil. Castor Oil has a high concern rating for irritation when it comes into contact with skin, eyes or lungs. Something you'd want to put on your lips?

Hydrogenated Castor Oil - You can read a fantastic blog post here by TheSmartMama which explains the process that makes hydrogenated castor oil so unnatural and definitely, catagorically, not pure.

Copernica Cerifera Wax - Wax from the leaves of a Carnauba Palm, a plant native to Brazil.

Parfum - I HATE that products can simply list 'parfum' or 'fragrance' on their ingredients list! it covered such a wide range of potential ingredients which each have their own ratings as allergens and irritants.

CI 45380 - a synthetic dye produced from petroleum or coal tar sources, which are continuously tested on animals due to their carcinogenic properties.

CI 15850 - as above, with the main function being as an ingredient in hair dye. RESTRICTED IN COSMETICS USE.

Benzyl Alcohol - An allergen, classified as 'expected to be toxic or harmful to non-reproductive organs' (including skin).

Limonene - A scent ingredient and solvent naturally ocurring in the rind of citrus fruit. Upon storage and exposure to sunlight and air, limonene degrades to various oxidation products which act as skin and respiratory irritants and sensitizers. (EWG.org)

All I have to say is, how can a company be allowed to market a product as 100% PURE and 100% NATURAL, when it is NEITHER of those things?

I'd be interested to see which other 'natural' products aren't quite as natural as they claim to be... Please share your thoughts below!