 |
Certified Organic Skin Care:
|
| "How To Separate Fact From Fiction With A Step-by-Step Formula For Selecting Truly Certified Organic Skin Care"
Before we get into the "nitty-gritty" of how to select certified organic skin care products let's address the question on everybody's lips right now. Is The Growing Organic Movement, Hype or Reality? Let's set the record straight about the organic movement by exploring the roots of the organic market, current trends and projected growth. The modern organic movement began at roughly the same time as industrialized agriculture. It slowly evolved through the 1950's and 60's with the launch of such books as Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, which exposed the toxic bio-accumulative effects of pesticides (namely DDT). During the 1970's the organic movement was further stimulated by the growing consumer interest in in health, fitness and nutrition as well as the increasing awareness of the importance of preserving the natural environment. The Organic "Tipping Point" During the 1990's (and the 21st century) the organic movement kicked into overdrive due to the outbreaks of BSE (Mad Cow Disease) and Avian Bird Flu. The public outcry over GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) has also motivated people to search for healthy alternatives.  As we enter the second half of this decade we can see that massive consumer demand for organic products has now vaulted the organic movement into the mainstream. The organic industry is now a force to be reckoned with in world trade. In fact if the current annual growth rate of 23% continues it is possible the world's agriculture will be fundamentally organic by 2020. World trade in organic products is currently dominated by the United States, the European Union and Japan as you can see below.  So What Is Organic Farming? When done right, organic agricultural methods are far superior to traditional farming techniques in just about every way imaginable. But first, let's clearly define what organic farming is. Quite simply, organic farming means farming in a way that cares for the environment, without relying on synthetic chemicals (and any other unnatural interventionist approaches) for farming and food production. Rather than using synthetic pesticides to kill pests, organic farmers prevent pests by using four primary methods: 1) Planting a diverse range of crops. 2) By rotating their crops sensibly (giving the soil enough time to replenish naturally). 3) Using natural biological and environmentally applications 4) Conserving natural ecosystems. So, you may be thinking...sounds great, but how does this benefit me? Well the major benefit is that you can usually be sure that your organic products do not contain artificial pesticides, herbicides, hormones or growth promotants. If you are like me, that means you gain a strong sense of security and inner peace knowing that your organic products are safe. What About Skin Care Products? Above we talked about organic farming as a safer method, however when it comes to organic skin care products there is another vitally important part of the equation you must be aware of. Making real organic skin care products is a two step process; sourcing ingredients and then mixing the formulas in a factory. Therefore, for total peace of mind you must also be sure that organic skin care product you buy has not been tainted in the manufacturing process. By this I mean: no synthetic emolliments, no synthetic humectants; no synthetic emulsifiers, no synthetic surfactants; no synthetic preservatives; no artificial dyes; no colorings; no flavoring and no additives are used in the manufacturing process. Read on as I now reveal the certified organic skin care blueprint for the ideal personal care product. The Certified Organic Skin Care Blueprint On Natural Skincare Authority I outline in great detail the rating policy I use to grade products. This is a blueprint I devised after completing several thousand hours of research into this very topic. At this point in time I have completed more than 60 product reviews in 7 categories. However, good news for you, it actually serves another purpose, by giving you the ideal set of criteria you need to be armed with when selecting any certified organic skin care product. Without further ado here are the 20 natural and toxic parameters every product I review is put through. Please Note: The ideal certified organic skin care product answers yes to the natural parameters and no to the toxic parameters. 8 Natural Parameters: 1) 100% Certified Organic Ingredients - natural ingredients derived from organic farms containing the logo of an international certifying body.This is the core component of any certified organic skin care product. 2) 100% Beneficial Ingredients - every single ingredient must be working in your body's best interests. 3) No Synthetic Chemicals - no synthetic toxins used at any stage of the production process. 4) Cruelty Free - this is the dirty little secret that many "natural" skin care makers keep from their customers, as many non certified companies outsource animal testing to third parties. 5) No Pesticides/Herbicides - no pesticides sprayed at the source (i.e. farm). 6) No GMO - no plant source corrupted with genetically modified organisms. 7) Cold Formulation - This process ensures that the organic ingredients are kept in their original fresh state by allowing no heat during production. 8) No Artificial Flavors/Additives - nothing unnatural added in the production process. 12 Toxic Parameters: 1) Cancer Proven Links - Through publicly available documents on chemicals (MSDS data sheets) you can determine whether the product contains cancer causing chemicals - carcinogens. See the "Toxins A To Z" web page on this site for a complete listing of the 160 most hazardous chemicals used in skin care. 2) Cancer - Possible Link - These chemicals make up a large portion of ingredients in many products. While no hard link has been established to cancer by the conservative research labs they are quite hazardous nonetheless. 3) Reproductive Toxins - These skin care toxins have been deemed by the research community to have direct negative affects on the reproductive system of women and men. Importantly this includes pregnancy for mothers. 4) Safety Violations - These are chemicals being used in skin care products that are in direct violation of government regulations. Hard to believe but true. 5) Harmful Toxins - These skin care toxins are liberally used in many skin care products. In terms of toxicity they are generally a tier below the "cancer - possible link " parameter. 6) Untested Chemicals - These chemicals have never been formally tested for safety for human use in skin care products. 7) Penetration Enhancers - These skin care toxins infiltrate the skin membrane. This opens the door for many other chemicals to enter. This also is a direct violation of government regulations as cosmetics are not permitted to enter the bloodstream. 8) Animal Tested - These chemicals have been tested on animals. A despicable practice that has rightly drawn the ire of many consumers. One important point is to realize that many companies like the Body Shop outright lie about this issue by outsourcing these skin care toxins to third parties. 9) - 11) Dangerous Chemicals - These three parameters are specific chemicals assigned to individual product categories. They are the three most dangerous skin care toxins in that particular category. 12) Misleading Advertising - This widespread practice determines whether a company uses deceptive advertising to trick customers into thinking their products are natural, organic or cruelty free. But How Can You Be Sure? Now, I know what you may be thinking..."sounds great but how can I really be sure that my so-called certified organic skin care products meet all the criteria." This is a great question and fortunately for you I have an equally great answer. There are two magic words that will shortcut your research time by several hundred hours. Certified Organic Skin Care The answer is quite simply "Certified Organic", these two words make the world of difference and remove a lot of the hassle of searching for organic products. Thanks to the many certifying bodies around the world it is now easier than ever before to purchase certified organic skin care products in full confidence. Who Certifies? The are many independent certifying bodies (and authorities) worldwide, though like many things in life, they are not created equal. The major players are: USDA Organic (United States Dept. of Agriculture); and ACO (Australian Certified Organic). See the logos below.   USDA Wavering? In the United States the USDA is the leading certifying body for organic food and in some cases certified organic skin care. However, the USDA Organic Seal has recently lost a little credibility due to a controversial 2006 agricultural bill. This Bill will effectively dilute the current standards that require 95% of the product to be free of synthetic chemicals. Some analysts have stated that the USDA has caved in to the powerful agribusiness lobby that was starting to lose market share against the truly organic "small town" farmers. How About The ACO? Contrary to the weakening USDA Organic standards the ACO is gathering momentum as the pre-eminent organic certifying body worldwide. The ACO has its roots in the 1980's as its parent organization, the BFA (Biological Farmer's Association) sent out field assessors to ensure that farmers were complying with the rules and regulations laid down by the organic community. Stringent Entry Requirements The ACO has by far the most stringent entry requirements as farmers have to wait three years after their initial inspection before they use the ACO logo on their produce. Now, here is the interesting part, the ACO can actually certify the ingredients used skin care products. If you can find a skin care maker that contains an ACO logo, you could actually eat those products - sounds strange, but your skin (and bloodstream) is effectively eating the skin care products you currently use. Who Monitors The Monitors? The BFA, via its certification arm (ACO), is strictly scrutinized both nationally (Australia) and internationally by the AQIS (Australian Quarantine Inspection Service) as well as the IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) and other international government authorities. Additionally, the BFA is a not-for-profit co-operative, owned by its members, which ensures that the true interests of the organic community are maintained and upheld. The World's Only Certified Organic Skin Care Range At present there are several trailblazing skin care companies that use certified organic ingredients in their skin care products. These companies include Terressentials, Organic Make-Up Company and Aubery Organics. However, there is only one company in the world at this time that has gone through the painstaking 3 year process of certifying their entire skin care, hair care and body care range. This company is ONE Group, based in Queensland, Australia. ONE Group's certified organic skin care range is certified by the ACO, BFA and USDA. Below are the actual certificates granted by the ACO and the USDA to ONE Group which makes it the world's first and only company to have a complete certified organic skin care range.
Click here for more information on ONE Group certified organic skin care. This web page details the rise of ONE Group from its humble beginnings to its current status as the world's only certified organic skin care maker. Action Step: If you have any skin care products you thought to be organic when you bought them double check the ingredient label and/or packaging to see if they are certified. The bottom line is, without a logo from the ACO or USDA (or any other internationally recognized body) you can be almost certain that it is not a certified organic skin care product. Easy Ways To Order Organic Products 1. Order safely and securely by credit card at the official ONE Group website with 256 bit authenticated security
2. Order safely and securely by credit card at the official Natures Paradise website with 256 bit authenticated security
3. Order safely and securely by credit card at the official I'm Organic website with 256 bit authenticated security
|
