FIGHT BACK : `NATURAL' ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER.

Byline: David Horowitz

Almost every consumer product on the market today has a ``green'' version - one that is more natural, more recyclable, more environmentally friendly than a competing product. You see a lot of green in advertising for cosmetics and beauty products. These are, after all, products that we apply directly to our bodies, so we want them to be pure and natural (as if those words meant the same thing).

Beauty preparations are loaded with precious oils and extracts and enriched with essential vitamins and minerals. But most of this is promotional hype. A vitamin may be ``essential'' as a food supplement but have no effect whatsoever when applied to the skin. The word ``natural'' has no precise legal definition. By industry consensus, cosmetics advertised as natural are generally plant-based, with no animal ingredients; they are nontoxic, subjected to a minimum of chemical processing and never tested on laboratory animals.

Beyond that, advertisers are free to use the term pretty much as they please. Can't you tell what you're getting from the list of ingredients? Not unless you're an organic chemist. Cetyl alcohol and stearic acid are both naturally derived substances. But many herbal and vegetable extracts must be extensively processed before they can be used in commercial preparations.

There's also the question of whether ``natural'' really means better. Without extensive refinement, products derived from plants can vary tremendously in potency and concentration.

Some people are allergic to various plants and their extracts. Such common ingredients as almond, chamomile, papaya, lavender, clove, cottonseed, geranium and thyme can cause skin irritation or sensitivity to the sun.

Who's watching out for our health and safety? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will take action against any product that presents a significant risk to a large number of people. Cosmetics containing compounds of mercury or lead would be examples. But the FDA will not ban products that are innocuous to all but a few hypersensitive individuals, nor is this particular agency concerned with whether you're getting your money's worth. If you're willing to pay extra for a touch of lemon oil in your shampoo, that's your business.

MEMO: David Horowitz's column appears on Saturdays.