Chemical free

Chemical free or chemical-free is a term used in marketing to imply that a product is safe, healthy or environmentally friendly because it only contains natural ingredients.[1] From a chemist's perspective, the term is a misnomer, as all substances and objects are composed entirely of chemicals and energy. The term chemical is roughly a synonym for matter, and all substances, such as water and air, are chemicals.

Marketing
Key concepts
Promotional content
Promotional media
Research

Chemical free in advertising to indicate that a product is free of synthetic chemicals, and the tolerance of its use in this fashion by the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority has been the subject of criticism.[2]

A study of understandings of the term chemical among American undergraduates by chemist Gayle Nicoll in 1997 noted that "People may hold both a scientific and layman's definition of a chemical without linking the two together in any way. They may or may not consciously distinguish that the term 'chemical' has different connotations depending on the situation."[3]

See also

References
  1. Deborah Blum (January 22, 2012). "Chemical-free nonsense: Equating 'chemical' with 'evil' is an invitation to misplaced fear and a way of thinking that makes us less safe". Los Angeles Times.
  2. Frank Swain (August 6, 2008). "Do TV adverts have to tell the truth?". The Guardian.
  3. Gayle Nicoll (April 1, 1997). "'Chemical-Free' Foods: An Investigation of Student's Definitions of a Chemical". Journal of Chemical Education. 74 (4): 455. Bibcode:1997JChEd..74..455N. doi:10.1021/ed074p455.
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