Beauty manufacturer and supplier Kerfoot is encouraging the personal care sector to ‘think authentic’ when it comes to sourcing ingredients.
The statement comes after a study found more than 80% of avocado oil sold in the US was “mislabelled, rancid or adulterated”.
In response, the UK-based manufacturer has said beauty companies need to pay closer attention to where they are sourcing their ingredients.
Avocado oil is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, and is used in skin care to help calm itchy skin, hydrate and shield skin from UV rays.
“The avocado oil study will no doubt come as a shock to many, but perhaps none more so than the personal care product consumer,” said Kerfoot’s Sales and Marketing Director, Simon Corner.
“A staggering 82% of avocado oil test samples that were labelled as pure or extra virgin, contained almost 100% soybean oil, an ingredient that’s generally lower quality, cheaper to produce and is commonly found in food processing applications.
“Personal care brands are simply not getting what they pay for.”
The study was carried out by food experts Hilary Green and Selina Wang from the University of California, who said the findings show how there is “an urgent need to develop standards for avocado oil”.
Corner added: “It’s symptomatic of the more widespread ‘oil fraud’ problem facing both the personal care and food sectors, but is particularly prevalent in markets such as the US, where newer oils on the scene, like avocado oil, are not subject to stringent quality standard testing.
“When brands do not maintain a tight grip of the supply chain and ensure full end-to-end traceability, they’re opening their products up to adulteration, labelling issues and risking a breach of consumer trust.”
Corner also said brands cannot afford to risk their reputation by using low quality ingredients.
“That’s why we’re challenging the sector to change its perspective on natural oils to put the same emphasis on provenance and authenticity that consumers do.”
