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Comment by Karen MacNab on January 13, 2009 at 10:33am

Organic? No Seal - No Deal !!
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Delete Post Manage Blog You may be familiar with organic food labels. Most of the ones found here in the U.S. display the USDA Organic seal or sticker, others show other organic certifiers such as QAI (Quality Assurance International) or CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) and many more. The food items displaying these labels earn our reassurance that it's clean, tasty, non-toxic and good for the earth. But, the questions arises, what about organic skin care products? Should we be looking for the same labels? Just how "organic" are the skin care products claiming to be organic, are the terms "natural" or "organic" the same, and, does it even matter?

Well if you're from the school of thought of "you are what you eat", then yes, it absolutely does matter. If you're not so sure, then this might be an eye opener for you. First a little Skin Trivia - Studies have proven, that everything you apply on your skin goes beneath the surface unless you immediately rinse it off. Your skin, being your body's largest organ, has over 1 billion pores. It is your body's first line of defense against anything entering your body. It is also like a giant sponge, absorbing anything you put on it. It usually takes 10-15 minutes for a product to be completely absorbed into your skin, and by this time, it is inside your body, "subcutaneously", which means underneath your skin - you cannot rinse it off.

The dilemma:

So as we apply lotions, perfumes, make-up, oils, deodorants and other cosmetics on a daily basis, these products will definitely get absorbed and inside our body to the organs. So in essence, you are FEEDING your skin whatever that product is. Simply put, if you wouldn't eat it, you probably shouldn't be putting it on your skin, make sense? Your skin is a living organ, similar to your other organs like your digestive system. So if you are eating organic foods but using synthetic and toxic skin care products, it sort of defeats the purpose of what you're trying to do.

Today, more and more companies are coming out with products termed as "All Natural", "Organic" and "Cruelty Free" to meet consumers healthier demands. This seems great, but has only made things harder because shopping can be pretty difficult if you don't know what to look for. The only thing you know is that you want only natural, organic products on your skin; but how can you really tell what's truly organic?

What to look for:

The bottom line is that you need to read the ingredients list and make sure that it contains NO synthetic chemicals. Yes, you must take time to read the label because chemicals and toxins are in nearly everything at the grocery store Personal Care aisle!!!

The most common synthetic chemicals used in skin care products are:

1. Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol

2. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)

3. DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine) & TEA (triethanolamine)

4. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG 4 - 200)

5. Sodium Hydroxide

6. Triclosan

7. DMDM and Urea (Imidazolidnyl)

8. Parabens (Methyl, Butyl, Propyl.. etc)

9. Alcohol, Isopropyl (SD-40)

10. Mineral Oil

11. FD&C Color Pigments

12. Fragrances (synthetic fragrances will have names like "essential lavender oil", because no lavender was even used!)

There are many more, but we'll start with the deadly dozen so you don't get too overwhelmed. What these chemicals actually are and do to your skin is another story in and of itself, but let's just say they are no different than what's in your anti-freeze. No reputable/ethical organic, natural or holistic company will use ANY of these because there are natural alternatives to the chemical ones. Furthermore, you cannot make a truly organic product with synthetic chemicals. So, even if the name or packaging lures you with words like "all natural", "healthy", "holistic", "cruelty free" and even the very word "organic", turn the package over and read that label!

Here's a hint - the first 3 ingredients listed are what mainly comprises the product, making the last ingredients the smallest amount in there. Sadly, some cosmetic companies put products out there with names like "Aloe Lotion", when Aloe is the very last ingredient on that list (and usually it's some petty form like "aloe extract") So is it truly "Aloe lotion" or more like "Water + Mineral Oil Lotion"? Yuck!!

So what do those organic seals mean? Most natural skin care products have never, until recently, had organic seals certifying them like food items. It takes time, effort and money to get organically certified. Chances are, if a company went that extra mile to get that seal of approval, their products and the ethics behind their stuff is probably very good indeed.

Organic cosmetic certifiers:

There are Seals, and then there are "Seals"... The following is a list of organic certifying seals you will commonly find on most cosmetics out there. Unfortunately, this list is in a particular order. That is, from the best and most stringent, to the just OK:

1. USDA Organic (95-100% organic)

2. Australian Certified Organic (95%-100% organic)

3. European Union/Agriculture Biologique (at least 95% organic)

4. BIO/Germany (at least 95% organic)

5. QAI (at least 70% organic)

6. CAAQ/Canada (at least 70% organic)

7. Eco Cert (at least 10% organic of total ingredients)

Differences between "Natural" and "Organic":
So what is the difference between "natural" and "organic"?. Well, it's how they are grown and/or processed. Some products will not have any of the synthetic chemicals listed above and therefore be termed as "all natural", "toxin/chemical free" or say things like, "No SLS, Glycols, or Parabens". Please note, "NATURAL" DOES NOT MEAN "ORGANIC"! For example, a conventionally grown tomato is "natural", but it was grown using pesticides and possibly contaminated soils; so it's not "organic". Big difference!! Organically grown fruits and vegetables have significantly lower levels (if not any at all) of nitrates( harmful pesticides), and higher levels of antioxidants and vitamins particular to that fruit or vegetable.

The same theory applies for skin care products. A Papaya-Coconut Lotion can have 100% natural ingredients with no synthetics, but if the papaya, coconut and the rest of the stuff in there is not organic, then it was grown using pesticides and therefore can only be termed "all natural" but not organic. This All Natural Papaya-Coconut Lotion would be an inferior product compared to a Certified Organic Papaya Lotion.

No seal - no deal!

The organic certifying seal guarantees that all the ingredients are organic. So if the seal is not there on the skin care product, should you not buy it? That decision is up to you. It's similar to the difference between buying conventional and organic tomatoes. The important thing here is to make an informed decision. The more savvy we become about reading labels, ingredient lists, and knowing exactly where it came from when we put it on our face, eyes, skin and hair; the more companies will begin to comply to our standards. No person truly wants chemicals on their skin, people just want a product that works. The "greener" of a world we become, the more organic products will come to flourish. After all, YOU are in charge of your health. Check out 100% certified organic products at www.karenmacnab.mionegroup.com

Comment by kathy sims on December 23, 2008 at 6:41pm

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