The Salt and the Sweet on Ingredient Formulas

As a product formulator, I am always reading labels. I read labels on every food item I purchase, a habit that developed when I discovered and adopted a plant-based (vegan) diet in 1994. Still today, it's important to read every label possible. The other day I noticed that an organic brand of margarine that I had been purchasing for baking over the years had artificial colorant added! Why go through all the trouble into being organic, and getting certified, and marketing like crazy to the natural community when you have an artificial colorant? It's hard to trust companies and especially big corporations who are hopping on the organic bandwagons for profitability, and consumers face confusion on why they are experiencing skin irritations and so forth from skincare products and foods that contain artificial ingredients.
My thoughts on extra long labels......when there are 20-30 ingredients in a single product, even if they are natural such as herbs, it makes me wonder, do we really need ALL those ingredients for a single product, or can some of those ingredients actually be too much for the body to take in all at once, and actually work against each other?
Something else I have noticed is that very few formulators are actually simple minded, and feel pressure to add artificial preservatives, synthetic fragrances, and other chemicals to achieve the "perfect" formula in their opinion.
My question to myself every time I formulate something new.....Would I use this product on my own skin? (It better be yes!) The only preservative I use is Grapefruit Seed Extract, which is contained in my creams (combination of water and oil emulsions that require a preservative). The creams are popular products because of the easy way they absorb into skin, and are perfect for those who are transitioning over to a natural skincare line before going into the balms and serums.
Since the beginning in 2001 when I first started up my business online, I have listed EVERY.SINGLE.INGREDIENT on my website. There is nothing missing ever, and there are no bases or formulas I buy from others. Everything here is made from scratch including my herbal plant infusions, and one day I hope to distill a few of my own essential oils.
I will step off my soap box now....thank you for reading! And don't forget to read your labels :-)
xoxoxo ~ Colleen