Safety natural ingredients

Cosmetics certainly improve female attractiveness and this belief has led the cosmetic industry to be one of the most successful worldwide. The cosmetic industry in Malaysia is proven to be one of the most important economy source [l].In the last quarter of twentieth century, cosmetic industries exist with technology of their own. Every year, users were introduced with various new cosmetics products of the latest trend. The ingredients and basic material used in cosmetic formulations become the important criteria for consumeia in choosing the cosmetic product, as their interest in health and safety issues grew. Natural-ingredient based product getting popular [2-3]. 

One of the few phytochemicals that has been subjected to the rigorous testing procedures required by food safety authorities is P-carotene, a naturally-occurring carotenoid that is also a pre-cursor of vitamin A in humans. It is increasingly used as a food colour since the food product can be claimed to contain all natural ingredients. For this reason, detailed toxicological studies were undertaken that enabled the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee for Food Additives (JECFA) to set an ADI of 0-5 mg/kg/bw/day based on a NOAEL of 50 mg/day and the application of an uncertainty factor of 10 (JECFA, 1974). This low factor was used because it was argued that the compound occurred naturally in food, that its use as a food additive would not lead to a substantial increase in the total amount normally consumed, and that there had been no reports of adverse effects in humans. The ADI would correspond to an acceptable intake in humans of up to 350 mg/day. 

Misconceptions about food additives are perpetuated in the media and popular press, and recently have been disseminated via the Internet. There is confusion about the sources and functions of these compounds. Consumers are confused, for example, about the relative safety of natural as opposed to artificial food ingredients. A number of studies have shown consumers suspicion of synthetic chemicals in foods which are seen as posing a higher health risk than natural ingredients (Sloan et al., 1986 McNutt et al., 1986 Crowe et al., 1992). Unrealistic fears about food additives may be attributed in part to the public s fundamental lack of understanding of toxicology, including the failure to appreciate the concept of dose or the body s capacity to metabolize and detoxify the myriad of food constituents people are exposed to daily (Jones, 1992). 

These antioxidants are all-natural ingredients of foods and have GRAS status. However, because of the ability of some natural antioxidants to exhibit pro-oxidant activity, caution should be exercised when adding them to food systems (79). Furthermore, the safety of natural compounds with antioxidant activity should be established. 

Any attempt to provide a summary of safety information on botanicals will encounter certain prejudices and inaccuracies in the published record. One such prejudice, often repeated in reviews of herbal medicines and dietary supplements, is the view that consumers have been led to believe the myth that "anything natural is safe" (Barnes 2003 Dasgupta and Bernard 2006). While one survey of consumer attitudes in Canada found that 7 percent of respondents completely agree that there is no risk associated with products made with natural ingredients (Anon. 2005), there are no published analyses of consumer beliefs that indicate that there is broad acceptance of any such assumption. 

From this model one can specify a set of decision rules to draw some conclusions based on the empirical results of the experiment. The result of such a statistical test procedure does not establish with certainty the true state of nature, but rather it expresses a degree of confidence that one of the two states is not likely to occur. The randomized clinical trial and associated NHST are the mainstays of certain safety and efficacy approaches, such as the FDA drug trials described later, but they have certain potential limitations in their application to the safety of ingredients new to infant formulas. 

These studies suggest that natural ingredients in spatial repellents provide reasonable protection to people provided they are well volatilized, that they create a plume of repellent that surrounds a person, and that the active ingredient plume remains relatively undisturbed by airflow. Consumers should read product labels and take note of important product features such as distance from product, hours of use, and safety, such as warnings on inhalation of vapors. 

Antioxidants should be used only when it can be shown that their incorporation cannot be avoided by appropriate manufacturing methods or packaging. Their intended performance in the product should be clearly stated—e.g., whether for the benefit of the active ingredient or an excipient. Their efficacy can depend on their nature, their concentration (subject to safety considerations), when they are incorporated in the manufacture of the finished product, the container, and the formulation (particularly their compatibility with other constituents). All of these issues should be addressed. Their activity should also be determined in the finished product under conditions simulating the use of the product. The extent of degradation should be determined with and without the antioxidant. 

As described in the section on Cross-resistance in this chapter, it was found that some insect species showed extremely low cross-resistance to three ingredients, pyrethrins as well as d-allethrin and prallethrin, although they developed resistance to photostable synthetic pyrethroids. The latter two compounds of d-allethrin and prallethrin have quite similar chemical structures and the same configuration as cinerin I (an ingredient of pyrethrins). It is considered preferable to develop pyrethroids retaining the characteristics of natural pyrethrins and household insecticides containing them in the perspectives of safety and low cross-resistance. 

Natural vaporization agents, where the active ingredient is formulated on paper or resin, and where it is vaporized without heating or use of power, are easy to use, so there is particular high potential for associated new developments in the field of mosquito control. Insecticides that can be used in formulations for this purpose must possess the characteristics of room temperature vapor action, high level activity, and a high degree of safety for mammals. Metofluthrin meets all of these requirements. 

Pyrethroids are a collective term for compounds that are obtained by modifying the structure of natural insecticidal ingredients, pyrethrins, contained in pyrethrum while maintaining safety, to improve efficacy and provide different characteristics from pyrethrins that show high selective toxicity comparable to pyrethrins. 

Although drugs are subject to rigorous quality control to ensure the nature, potency, and safety of their ingredients, dietary supplements and herbs are not. The FDA has proposed adherence to good manufacturing practices (GMPs) but has not taken the necessary steps to require this. 

Cosmetic ingredients are natural or synthesized chemicals entering in the preparation/formulation of cosmetic products. According to the Cosmetics Directive 76/768/EEC (1), cosmetic products placed on the market must not cause damage to human health when applied under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use. The cosmetics manufacturers have to ensure the safety of their cosmetic products prior to marketing. However, the European Commission can adopt, on the basis of advice of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP), measures to limit or to forbid the commercialization of cosmetic products containing ingredients with safety concerns. 

Although many supplements are commonly advertised as being natural, this does not make them automatically safer or better than drugs or synthetic ingredients. In many cases, there is much less credible information about the effects of particular natural products or their ingredients, and there is more product variability. Product quality and variability are known safety concerns (27,28). Natural products can contain anything found in our environment—including pesticides, bacteria, molds, heavy metals, and other poisons—as has been documented in the literature. 

Many Chinese herbal species currently are unavailable commercially in North America. However, hundreds of Chinese medicinal herbs commonly used in China also can be found in natural habitats in North America. The majority have a phyletic relationship with either the same species or the same genus of Chinese herb (see Tables 3 4). Some of the principal ingredients in Chinese herbs can be extracted from related plant species in the West. Thus, it may be possible to substitute Chinese herbs with more readily available herbs in the West. Moreover, these North American plants are, or can be, cultivated, harvested, and processed under proper management that will ensure their safety, quality, and efficacy. 

While many commercially available preparations contain only melatonin, many others contain a combination of this hormone with other active ingredients. Some of these other ingredients may be vitamins such as pyri-doxine, while others are natural remedies such as kava root and valerian. It is even available combined with acetaminophen, a common over-the-counter pain reliever. Frequently, the long-term effects and safety of these other ingredients are not known. Even less is known about any possible interactions between these substances and melatonin, because melatonin has been available and used commercially for only a short period of time. Many experts have suggested that it would be preferable to test melatonin in controlled studies to determine if it is effective and safe before it was released on the market and used by millions of people. 

Many United States consumers have embraced the use of botanicals and other supplements as a "natural" approach to their health care. Unfortunately, misconceptions regarding safety and efficacy of the agents are common, and the fact that a substance can be called "natural" of course does not guarantee its safety. In fact, these products can be adulterated, misbranded, or contaminated either intentionally or unintentionally in a variety of ways. Furthermore, the doses recommended for active botanical substances may be much higher than those considered clinically safe. For example, the doses recommended for several Ma-huang preparations contain three to five times the medically recommended daily dose of the active ingredient, ephedrine—doses that impose significant risks for patients with cardiovascular disease. 

BgVV (2001) Workshop on exposure of children to substances used as ingredients in pesticides. Berlin, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Federal Institute for Health Protection of Consumers and Veterinary Medicine (Bundesinstitut flir gesundheitlichen Verbraucherschutz und Veterinarmedizin) (Grant No. 201 61 218/01 ... 

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