What Does Chemical Free Mean?

The term “chemical free” is seen everywhere these days including on skincare labels, food packaging, even floor cleaners. But if you stop and think about it for more than two seconds, the phrase is actually pretty stupid! Every material thing, from the air we breathe to the water we drink and the apples we eat is made up of chemicals. Even “all-natural” things like essential oils or organic strawberries are 100% composed of chemicals.  Indeed, even you and I are walking, talking, 100+  pound bags of complex chemical reactions.

When companies say “chemical free,” what they are usually trying to claim is that their product is “free from certain synthetic chemicals” or “free from harsh ingredients.” But scientifically, it’s impossible for any product to be chemical free. The idea that chemicals are always bad is obviously wrong. The idea that naturally occurring chemicals are always safer than synthetic ones is also obviously wrong. There are lots of chemicals found in nature that will kill you, cause allergic reactions, cause cancer and so forth. In fact, the way regulatory bodies are set up, the naturally occurring chemicals undergo far less testing than do synthetic ones. This is not to say all synthetic chemicals are safe, that is just as goofy as saying all natural chemicals are safe. But, ones that are OK’ed for use on humans by regulators have been tested, which is a lot more than you can say for many “natural” ingredients.

So next time you see “chemical free” on a label, remember that it’s nonsense and just some marketer trying to take advantage of you. Instead of worrying about whether something is “chemical free,” it’s much more important to know which chemicals are present, how much is used, and what their benefit is versus what the risk, if any, there is. Admittingly, that’s a lot of work so if you can find brands you trust, it gets easier. Burnd takes this very seriously. We use the ingredients we need to use to make the maximally effective product and will never use anything we believe to be harmful.