On several occasions we’ve blogged about natural ingredients like mushroom extract and snail slime that really work. But we still get accused of bashing natural products because we allegedly work for “Big Cosmetic” or “Big Pharma” companies. So before any one decides to accuse us of being shills for the “Big Agricultural” industry, here’s a story about how natural lavender may kill weeds better than synthetic chemicals.

Lovely lavender soap

According to this article, research published in the International Journal of Environment and Health shows that essential oils extracted from lavender be used as a natural herbicide to stop weeds from infiltrating healthy crops.

Reseachers including Elena Sturchio of the National Institute of Health and Safety at Work in Rome and colleagues there and at the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, and the Department Crop Production, at Tuscia University, in Viterbo, have discovered that lavender (aka Lavandula officinalis) produces aromatic oils consisting of terpenes, alcohols, aldehydes and phenols that can have an inhibitory effect on weed growth. These natural substances could replace synthetic pesticides and herbicides that can be toxic and in some cases are potentially carcinogenic.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Even shills for Big Cosmetic companies can find something positive to say about natural chemistry.