As demand for natural products continues to rise, the Natural Products Association (NPA) is extending its natural seal and standard to include home care products, such as household cleaners, laundry detergents, concentrated and ready-to-use hard surface cleaners.

Until now, there was no standard definition of the term “natural” used by the home care industry. Now, an easily identifiable seal will help consumers discern which products are natural. Shoppers can expect the seal to begin appearing on certified home care products in the coming months.

“A number of products that are mainly synthetic are being positioned as natural. This leads to significant consumer confusion about the category and products people are choosing,” said Daniel Fabricant, PhD, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at NPA. “To provide the consumer peace of mind in the marketplace, the new natural standard for home care will inject integrity into natural for the person who matters most, the consumer” he said.

The standard comes amid growing consumer confusion about what makes a product natural. A recent national survey found that natural ingredients are important to consumers and that there should be standards:

78% of those surveyed said there should be regulations/standards for natural home care products

72% believe it’s important that ingredients in home care products are natural

73% are more likely to purchase a home care product if they knew it was certified as natural

Under the new program, products must follow strict guidelines set out by the NPA to merit bearing the seal. The criteria include, but are not limited to:

Product must be made up of at least 95% truly natural ingredients or ingredients that are derived from natural sources, excluding water

No ingredients with any suspected human health risks

No processes that significantly or adversely alter the natural ingredients

Ingredients that come from a purposeful, natural source (flora, fauna, mineral)

Processes that are minimal and don’t use synthetic/harsh chemicals

Non-natural ingredients only when viable natural alternative ingredients are unavailable and only when there are absolutely no suspected potential human health risks.