Are all organic body and natural skin care products created equally? One would think so. However, the term “organic” doesn’t have the same guidelines for non food products. Most often you will pay a premium for organic body products, so you might as well be paying for ingredients that are known for not being harmful.
Here a few tips to determine whether organic natural skin care products are worth the premium price:
- Consumers buy organic natural skin care products to reduce their exposure to dangerous pesticides and additives
- Manufacturers can have an “Organic” seal of approval without actual approval status. Beware of marketing misnomers including ”natural,” “botanical” and even “organic” because government agencies are not monitoring its use.
- Look for such ingredients from these 4 chemical families - phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks, which according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) pose potential health effects including cancer and hormone disruption in adolescent girls.
The National Geographic Green Guide authors have identified 12 chemical ingredients or the “Dirty Dozen” to avoid in cosmetics and other personal-care products:
- Antibacterials
- Coal tar – found in anti-dandruff shampoos and toothpaste
- DEA – or diethanolamine which is very harmful and should not be found in products labeled as “organic body products”
- Dioxane - Look for ingredients expressed as “PEG,” “-xynol,” “ceteareth,” and “oleth”
- Formaldehyde
- Fragrance
- Lead and mercury
- Nanoparticles - Look for product labels that advertise “free of nanoparticle-size ingredients”
- Parabens - Look for ingredients on labels that have methyl-, ethyl, propyl-, butyl- prefixes and isobutylparaben.
- Petroleum distillates
- PPD
- Hydroquinone
The Green Guide advises consumers to keep this list as you shop for organic and natural skin care products, so you know which products to avoid and keep you and family safe from harmful toxins. Read more about the harmful effects of each chemical ingredient at the Environment Working Group’s Website.
If you are still concerned which of personal care items are deemed organic body products, then try the Natural Products Association site at http://www.naturalproductsassoc.org. They established a certification program that defines “natural” and uses a seal to designate skin and hair products that meet the standards. Certified products must be made from at least 95 percent nonsynthetic ingredients.
