subject: Are Organic Beauty Products Better [print this page] There is admittedly a growing trend today to shift to the so-called organic products, and away from the more traditional beauty formulations. This may be an offshoot of a like movement in food, which praises foodstuff grown without chemical fertilizer and other common agricultural inputs such as pesticides, herbicides and similar chemicals. While this may be definitive in the food part of organic living, there are questions about organic beauty products worth looking into before you use them based on their labels alone.
For example, there is hardly any legal definition of the term organic as appended to beauty formulations. There are no specific rules that state which products may be called organic and which may be not called such. As the practice exists to date, any product may be labeled organic by its manufacturer if it has any natural ingredient, even if all the other ingredients are synthetic or artificial (read chemically produced). While the US Department of Agriculture has regulations and standards for products that can be labeled organic, these same regulations and standards are so complicated cosmetic manufacturers can juggle them without violating any.
Next, although the USDA established the rules, it is the Food and Drugs Administration that will determine whether a product is or its ingredients are- safe for human use. But the FDA does not monitor nor has any control over organic products. So if a product is labeled organic , who can say if it is misleading or not? Certainly not the ordinary consumer who must necessarily rely on the government to tell him so. Some sort of indicator such as the USDA Organic Seal can do that, but it is quite difficult to obtain so only a few manufacturers can attach the Organic Seal to their products.
On the other hand, the USDA has accredited about 55 US and 40 foreign certifying organizations on the organic issue, but only about 20 agencies use the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) in performing certification tests. Because some logos look very much like that of USDA on cursory examination it is thus advisable to scrutinize the product to find the logo, and the logo itself to see which certifying agency it is.
Next, organic or natural does not necessarily mean safer. Bear in mind that the poison ivy is a natural plant, and arsenic contains natural substances. Yet they are harmful to humans, as do some essential oils or flower extracts. There are likewise photo toxic substances that cause harm to sensitive skin when exposed to sunlight, or exacerbate ultraviolet light damage.
Finally, no research has definitely established that natural or organic ingredients are safer than conventional products, whose main active ingredients have been formulated also from natural substances, though manufactured in quantities using known chemicals. Hence all the edge organic products may have over ordinary formulations is that the first may just be better for the environment, and nothing more. So when paying for a more expensive organic beauty formulation, think again if the price is really worth it. When in doubt, don't.
by: Hunter Crowell
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