James
@OSP has a very valid point in terms of noting (and confronting about) unnatural ingredients in a product which claims to be 'all natural'. It's my understanding that for ECHA cosmetics portal (registering cosmetic products) you need to substantiate any and all claims in your product information file (PIF) which is submitted and scrutinised by authorities prior to placing a product on the market. Something like this would fall under the same blanket as a suncream without any UV-reflecting or absorbing ingredients. Or, an insect repellent which doesn't/cannot repel insects. It's lying in a somewhat convoluted format as the layperson might not be akin to which ingredients are natural and which are not. It's safe to say most chemical names and INCI names (which should be used to list ingredients for cosmetic products, something I see failing relatively often) look like gobbledegook to most people.
I think it's fair to say that although 99% of people might not be in the know about the above, but the more people can understand what is going on the better a product we can have access to, or the more we can trust the sellers of products, as a direct result of calling out those whom fail in these respects.
@Nisse ; it's safe to say most people are suckers for statements pertaining to 'all natural', 'paraben free' etc. whereas the ingredients specifically used may be created in a lab but
found in nature, or where parabens are exchanged for tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E for all intents and purposes). I don't see methylparaben (for example) to be a huge issue. It's fairly well documented as a preservative and, although in larger doses causes some skin desensitisation, but is limited to a total of 0.4% w/w (weight percentage) of the total cosmetic formulation. Most manufacturers will be below this threshold.
I tend to scrutinise products quite heavily but I have 5 years education in Chemistry, obtaining my Masters (hons) degree and a fair amount of contact with cosmetic regulations starting my job straight from uni. My other half is keen to find out what individual ingredients do and what to look out for in certain products. A good example of this is salicylic acid in 'chapstick'. It's pretty good at peeling skin, so has the potential (dependent on concentration) to cause lips to chap, therefore requiring more chapstick, so further chapping lips...and the vicious circle continues... SWMBO has even said since scrutinising those types of products herself, her lips peel less and generally feel better.
Tl, dr; The more you know, the better you can approach things and the better a product [we] might have on the shelves down the line. I'm all for exposing those whom try to play the system.