What are we to do when we want to do the right thing by going all-natural, but are not sure which ingredients are really pure, and which ones are not?

Here is a list of synthetic ingredients to be avoided by those that want the real thing when it comes to purity.  Copy this list... and never lose it!

ammonium lauryl sulfate
betaine
carboxylate
cocamidopropyl betaine
cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine
coco betaine
coco polyglucose
DEA cetyl phosphate
decyl glucoside
decyl polyglucose
disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate
glycerol laurate
glycerol monolaurate
glycerol stearate
glyceryl cocoate
lactamide DEA
lauramide DEA
lauramide DEA/MEA
methyl glucose dioleate
olefin sulfonate
cocamine
cocoamphoglycinate
cococarboxamid MEA-4-carboxylate
coconut and corn oil "soap"
coconut surfactants--(ammonium lauryl or laureth sulfate)
cocamide DEA or MEA
coconut betaine
lauramide DEA
magnesium lauryl sulfate

 neutralized coconut extract
olefin sulfonate
PEG-100 (polyethylene glycol) stearate
PEG-150 (polyethylene glycol) distearate
sodium cocosulfate
sodium cocoyl isethionate
sodium laureth sulfate
sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate
sodium myreth sulfate
sodium myristoyl sarcosinate
sodium stearate
sorbitan stearate
sucrose cocoate
sucrose/glyceryl cocoate "sugar surfactant"
sulfated/sulfonated oil
TEA (triethanolamine) lauryl sulfate
sodium cocoamphodiacetate
sodium cocoyl glutamate
sodium lauryl sarcosinate
sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate
sucrose cocoate
decyl glucoside
decyl oleate
diethanolamine (DEA)
disodium laureth sulfosuccinate
glyceryl cocoate
laureth-13 carboxylate
triethanolamine (TEA)

acetic acid
acetone
amyl alcohol
benzene
butylene glycol
ethyl alcohol, synthetic
ethyl butyl acetate
ether glycerine
isopropyl alcohol
hexane
methanol
phenol
propyl alcohol
propylene glycol
SD alcohols
ethylene glycol monophenyl-ether (phenoxyethanol)

Synthetic Thickeners

carbomer
cocamide DEA, MEA
hydrolyzed wheat protein
hyrdoxymethyl cellulose
hydroxypropyl cellulose
methacryloyl ethyl betaine
methacrylates copolymer
oat protein
potassium carbomer
potassium stearate
quinoa protein
soy protein
vegetable cellulose

Synthetic Emulsifiers

acetylated lanolin alcohol
alkyl polyglycoside
betaine
carbomer
carboxymethyl cellulose
cetearyl alcohol
cocamidopropyl betaine (coco betaine)
emulsifying wax
ethyl acetate
ethylene glycol distearate
fatty acid alkanolamide glyceryl mono-, di-oleate
glycerol mono-, di-stearate
PEG-100 stearate
PEG-25 hydrogenated castor oil
polysorbate
sodium lauryl sulfate
sodium sulfosuccinates
sorbitan esters
sorbitan stearate
stearyl alcohol
triethanolamine (TEA)

Our thanks to Sharon Kinnier of Botanical Skin Works for compiling this list.

As you can imagine, there are an inconceivable amount of synthetic ingredients being used in cosmetics today, and this is just a partial list.