Beware of organic cheaters

(10/11/2009)

While there are strict standards for the labelling of organic food products, the 'organic' personal care industry remains unregulated, fostering a business culture of fraud. A product can refer to itself as ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ if just 1% of its ingredients fall into either of these categories – the other 99% can be man-made. This means a tiny sprig of herb can be dipped in 3000 gallons of production batch water transforming it into a ‘natural’ formula even if the rest of the ingredients are synthetic.

We are more conscious than ever of the food we eat and the products we use on our bodies and in our homes. When a product is labeled as natural and organic we believe it – but should we? Over the last decade there has been a boom in organic brands which are purportedly free of nasty chemicals but in fact many are made from the same petrochemical formulations used by mainstream brands that wouldn’t dare call their products natural, let alone organic.

In the US, The Organic Consumers Association has taken steps to clean up the personal care industry by campaigning for consumers to boycott “organic cheater” brands as part of its “Coming Clean” campaign*.

These efforts to clean up the Organic Personal Care Industry are supported by a number of organic beauty industry leaders including Dr Bronner’s, the USA’s no 1 natural and organic soap brand which distributes in the UK and worldwide. Dr. Bronner’s has taken out lawsuits against several beauty brands in the USA that use non-organic pesticide-intensive agricultural and/or petrochemical material to make the main cleansing and moisturizing ingredients of their misbranded “Organic” products.

Defendants include, among others:
Hain-Celestial (Jason “Pure, Natural & Organic; Avalon “Organics”)
Levlad (Nature’s Gate “Organics”)
Kiss My Face “Organic”
Country Life (Desert Essence “Organics”)
Giovanni “Organic Cosmetics”

David Bronner, President of Dr Bronner’s Magic Soaps says “We’re fed up with organic cheater brands that use high-foaming ethoxylated detergents in body washes and shampoos that produce 1,4 Dioxane contamination. Petrochemical compounds like Ethylene Oxide have no place in organic personal care ingredients. This is just one of many violations of basic organic criteria and demonstrates why government regulation is necessary.”

We are all aware of the varying mixtures of synthetically produced chemicals used in modern cosmetics and toiletries and we all know they are clearly best avoided. The skin is the largest organ in your body and individual ingredients vary in their ability to penetrate the skin. Some can reach the blood vessels below the skin and be transported around the body very effectively, in much the same way as nicotine is able to absorb transdermally from the nicotine patch. While one product may contain very small amounts of some of these ingredients, it is the cumulative effect of applying various products regularly that causes concern for our health and well-being.

Dr Bronner’s products are made with organic ingredients and the new Shikakai soaps, balms and lotions are accredited by the USDA (US Department of Agriculture) which leads with strict organic certification and labelling standards. The family owned company has been using it’s tried and tested natural formula for over 60 years. With ingredients listed on the front of their packaging it is clear to see that their 18-in-1 liquid and bar soaps are 100% free from SLS, they contain no synthetic foaming agents, thickeners, preservatives, fragrances, dyes or whiteners and use 100% post consumer recycled (PCR) cylinder bottles and paper labels. Completely biodegradable, the soaps are made with certified Fair Trade and organic ingredients sourced from India, Ghana, Palestine, Israel, and Sri Lanka.

Related categories:  Bath and shower products   Beauty products for body   Natural ingredients   Organic body care