How Organic are Organic Cosmetics?

When we think of “organic”, we think of all natural, non-toxic, safe food and products. However, many organic products contain harmful synthetic chemicals. For example, when a product has a “made with organic” USDA label, the requirement is that only 70% of ingredients are organic. The other 30% can be dangerous synthetic chemicals.

Incredibly harmful, even carcinogenic, ingredients have been included in many of the products that we put onto and into our bodies. Some lip balms contain benzophenone, a chemical linked to cancer. Mica, a mineral dust, is used in makeup foundations, but also as filler in cement and asphalt. Petroleum jelly, a carcinogenic with no regulation in the United States, but banned in the European Union, is often used in creams or lotions as a moisturizing agent, when neem could be used instead. Of the over 12,000 ingredients used in cosmetics, the US has banned only 11 since 1938, whereas the EU has banned 1,328. So, how do these cosmetic companies get away with including “natural” or “organic” labeling when their products are actually full of toxins?

Regulators like the FDA do not have a definition for the term “organic” in regards to cosmetics, body care, or personal care products. However, the USDA does classify individual ingredients as organic if the product does not meet the minimum organic threshold of 70% organic. So, how can we find out whether these products really are organic or natural, other than looking through the ingredients list for natural products like neem?

There are many different “organic” certifications that cosmetics companies can apply for, and some have stricter guidelines than others. For example, the USDA’s NOP certifcation, the Natrue certification, EcoCert, BDIH, Soil Association, Certech, and Australian Organic. Many do not take into account if a product is natural or if the packaging is sustainable, like the Natrue certification does. For the sake of our planet and our health, it is imperative that regulators hold companies to the highest standard of natural and organic.