The Truth About Organic Beauty Products

Going natural and organic seems like a great idea. Everyone wants to make sure that only the healthiest and most pure foods and drinks are going into their body, but what about your skin care products? What does organic or all-natural mean when it comes to moisturizers and body scrubs?

While harsh chemicals can be just as toxic for your skin as they can be when consumed, that doesn’t necessarily mean an all-natural product will be better for your skin than a typical product. Cinnamon is a natural ingredient, but it is also definitely a skin irritant!

This article will delve into some of those organic claims and try to separate the good from the bad and the ugly. We will discuss the meaning of the word organic, what it means for a product to be certified organic, and a few of the other terms that are being thrown around today in the beauty world. Ready to dive in?

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What Does Organic Mean in the Beauty World?

The term organic is a bit of a tricky one because the definition of the word changes depending on who you ask. A person with a chemistry degree will tell you that organic means a chemical compound that contains carbon.

If you ask a person that works for the USDA, he or she will have a completely different explanation of the word. They would describe it as a food that is produced using only natural pesticides and fertilizers.

The dictionary simply defines the word organic as “relating to or derived from living matter.”

Unfortunately, when it comes to the beauty world, there isn’t an agreed upon definition of the word organic, and that is because the cosmetic world, in the U.S., has no regulating agency.

Who Regulates the Term Organic?

The FDA, or Food and Drug Administration, doesn’t regulate terms like natural, organic, or vegan when it comes to those labels being on your makeup or moisturizers. In fact, they have absolutely no authority even to regulate what goes into those products, much less what the brands have called them.

The Food, Drug & Cosmetic act does ensure that brands add labels to the products that you use. The labels must include the actual ingredients, the directions on how to use the product, and any warnings like that it may irritate the eyes. But that is as far as the FDA’s oversight goes.

Now, you are probably thinking about that little organic seal you have seen on a few of your skincare products. You are right, there is one. However, that seal comes from the USDA, not the FDA. The USDA will give a skincare product an official organic seal if the food based ingredients like honey or berries do not contain any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

You may also see organic seals from other countries. Products made in France may have an ECOCERT seal. ECOCERT is responsible for certifying food, cosmetics, detergents, and perfumes. This French company has been certifying products for over 25 years, and they have subsidiaries in several countries including Brazil, Japan, and Switzerland.

Another seal you may have noticed is the BDIH seal from Germany. This organization contains over 400 producers of cosmetics, food, supplements, and medications. It has a very comprehensive set of guidelines it uses to test cosmetics, and they only certify natural products.

Canada has its own certification system that was established by a privately owned company called Certech. Their standards require that the ingredients by at least 95% organic to get their seal. Plus, the packaging must be recyclable, and the ingredients can’t have been tested on animals.

One of the strictest organic certifications comes from Austrailia. The Australian Certified Organic Standard uses requirements from all over the world to define their organic standard products.

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When Can a Company Slap the Label Organic on Their Product?

Getting an organic seal or being able to call a product organic, is all about the percentages in the United States. The USDA has a fairly strict system in place, and they don’t slap that organic label on just any product.

• 100%- In order for the USDA to give the official organic seal, the product must contain only ingredients that are organically produced.

• 95%- Products that are made from 95-99% organic ingredients can label themselves as organic but are not given the official seal.

• 70%- Products that have 70-94% organic ingredients are allowed to label themselves “made with organic ingredients.”

• <70%-Products that are made with less than 70% organic ingredients are not allowed to use the claim “organic” on their packaging. However, in the ingredients list, they are allowed to note which ingredients are organic.

Are Organic Beauty Products Better for My Skin or Is it a Scam?

While organic is definitely not a scam, if a product is labeled “organic” by the USDA or has one of the European seals, the claim is truthful. Yet, having an organic label doesn’t necessarily mean that the product is better for your skin than another not organic product.

Check the ingredients list of any product you are considering for purchase and make sure that it contains proven research-backed ingredients. Organic beauty products that are free of synthetic dyes or fragrances may be a more important factor than being made entirely of organic ingredients.

Things to Remember When Shopping Organic Beauty Products

If you are positive that you want to only purchase organic products for your skin, there are a few things that you should remember:

• Truly organic beauty products will have a short shelf life, probably 3 months or less. If you aren’t diligent about trashing your expired items, you may wind up with an organic, preservative-free foundation or moisturizer that is teeming with mold and bacteria. Definitely not a healthy situation for your skin.

• Those with sensitive skin or severe skin allergies still need to be cautious about new products, even if they are organic beauty products. Before jumping into a new beauty routine, do a small test patch to determine whether or not your skin is compatible with the ingredients.

What Ingredients Should I Watch Out for?

There are a lot of ingredients that get a bad rap when it comes to the beauty world, and some ingredients have been linked with forms of cancer or other health issues. Yet, the biggest problem with these studies is that the research is rather limited and in some cases inconclusive. No one regulates the beauty industry like they do the food or drug industry which leads to a lot of gray areas to navigate.

The ingredients that are generally called out as being “bad for you” that are lurking in your beauty products are parabens, sulfates, and phthalates. They have all been linked to cancer at some point, but keep in mind the research is a little shaky.

Parabens are preservatives that are found in sunscreens and lotions, and they have been linked to breast cancer. However, the paraben alternatives have not been researched very extensively, and it may turn out that they are just as harmful. Consider this, ketchup probably has more parabens than your favorite moisturizer, but the FDA deemed 0.1% safe for your food.

Sulfates are found in detergents and shampoos, and they have also been linked to cancer in a few studies. Yet the most common reason for avoiding them is that they can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions. Phthalates, the third ingredient linked to cancer, are chemicals found in fragrances.

On the other hand, some natural preservatives that are being used in place of the chemical ones aren’t so great for you either. Consider grapefruit seed extract, that would seem like a perfectly harmless ingredient, but it can actually interfere with your body’s ability to metabolize certain medications. Not being able to absorb your meds could turn out to be a fairly dangerous situation.

Plus, to avoid using the “bad” ingredients like parabens, some companies are switching to other ingredients that consumers may not be as familiar with like quaternium-15. It is an oft-overlooked ingredient mostly because people don’t know what it is. However, it is actually formaldehyde which may be even worse for you than a paraben.

Basically, it all boils down to doing the research. If you are unsure about a product, talk to your dermatologist about it.

Organic vs. Natural vs. Vegan

We have spent the majority of the article talking about organic beauty products, but there are a few other labels that have popped up on beauty products: natural and vegan. While the organic label is something that is verified by the USDA and somewhat regulated, the other two terms are much more ambiguous.

There is absolutely no regulation on the term natural (some products might use the word “clean” instead of natural), it is basically a marketing term. For example, tobacco is a “natural” product, but it isn’t exactly good for you. Yet, that doesn’t mean that all natural ingredients are bad for you either. Apple cider vinegar is actually great for your hair. When dealing with natural, research is again going to be the key.

Another “trick” that brands pull when wanting to seem more natural is simply removing the word preservatives from their labeling. While not all preservatives are bad for you, it is still important to know exactly what is in the products that you are putting on your skin. You may have allergies or other issues that require you to avoid a certain ingredient, and a product is simply removing or hiding that ingredient on the label can be problematic.

Vegan is another unregulated term. Although, in essence, it should mean that no ingredients in a particular product came from an animal and that the product wasn’t tested on an animal. A truly vegan product won’t contain any beeswax or carmine (carmine comes from beetles.) Keep in mind, though, the word vegan does not equal organic. A product can be vegan and organic, but they do not always overlap.

Since the beauty industry has no regulating agency, some stores take it upon themselves to make the regulation. For example, Whole Foods has created their own system of approving organic or natural beauty products, and they only stock items that they deem worthy. The products must have a “proven track record” of success for Whole Foods to put them on the shelf.

It All Boils Down to…

Going natural, vegan, or organic can be a way to use greener products that are cruelty-free and still great for your skin. Before you dump your current beauty regimen and jump on the “all-natural” bandwagon, make sure that you research each of the products that you are interested in switching to. Check with your dermatologist if you can’t find enough information on them to make a solid decision.

Remember that “natural” is a marketing term and not an actual category of products. Check out the ingredients list and the website of the company that made the product, see what is going into the product. Read a few reviews from people that have used the product, and pay attention to the expiration dates. Always remember, if a product is making claims to do or be something that sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t being entirely honest.

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If you want to check out your products, there is a watchdog group called the EWG that has been around for about 25 years. They have a database of over 70k products, and they have studied and rated each product for the potential health hazard it poses. You can search for your products to get a better idea of what you may be using.

The beauty industry is a business, after all, even the “organic” or “natural” beauty industry. While many of the brands may have altruistic motives and wish to promote a healthier and greener lifestyle, there will also be the brands that are just shifting their packaging in order to appear more “natural.” As a consumer, you always have to beware and look at for your own best interests.

More Great Organic Beauty Products Resources:

Are Organic Cosmetics Better For You?

Natural Makeup: What’s Health and What’s Hype?

The Truth About Your Natural and Organic Skincare