Beauty Marks: What Do Natural Cosmetic Labels Really Mean?

It seems like an endless array of beauty and personal-care products are touting “natural” and “organic” claims these days. But what kind of clout do these terms really have and what’s worth paying for?

According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, beauty products and cosmetics are among the least-regulated products on the market. Browsing the shelves recently, I read the ingredient list of a shampoo that read “natural” on the front label and found the first three ingredients to be synthetic and petroleum-based ingredients. Since when are fossil fuels “natural”?....