The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances (16 page)

So do we have to shun any cosmetics made with soy and corn completely, for the fear of turning into the Bride of Frankenstein? Make sure the product you fancy is made with oils obtained from a certified GM-free source. Today, the identification of GMOs in food products and cosmetics remains voluntary, but it’s good to know that all certified organic cosmetics are produced without GMO ingredients. Many ecofriendly, “greener” brands usually indicate that their products are “GMO-free” or “non-GMO” on a visible spot on the product label or box. Many other politically correct brands, such as The Body Shop and Urban Decay, are planning on phasing out the use of genetically modified corn and soya in their products. If in doubt, don’t hesitate to contact the manufacturer and ask whether their soy-based products are made of genetically modified plants.

Fair Trade

Variations:
ethically produced, fair trade

Fair trade means that a certain product or its ingredients were produced in Third World countries by farmers and manufacturers who obtained reasonable, fair pay for their services and crops. When you see a teal-green round stamp that was issued by the international fair trade certification body FLO-CERT, this means the product was made by a community of workers who received decent pay, with no forced or child labor, and that health and safety requirements were met. Does it make you feel better about using such a product? Absolutely. Does it improve the quality of ingredients? Possibly, since people who work in good conditions and enjoy adequate compensation for their efforts are less likely to make mistakes or intentionally compromise quality, whether fruits, vegetables, cocoa, rice, or coffee.

Natural

Variations:
plant-based, botanical, natural botanical ingredients, made with plant extracts, contains natural ingredients, contains essential oils

These claims are most frequently mistaken for organic. Natural and botanically based beauty products are not necessarily formulated with naturally grown plants or their juices, essential oils, or concentrated extracts. Only a few days ago, I was aggressively sold a stretch mark balm that a salesperson touted as “completely natural,” even though the label clearly listed triethanolamine, paraben preservatives, and mineral oil among the ingredients. Yesterday, I was drawn to a shelf with Olay products that had green leaves on the packaging and the word “natural” on the label. Since all big cosmetic players are doing mineral makeup now, I was hoping to see an organic line. Not this time. Although the ingredient list contained more natural plant extracts than common drugstore products would, the list was still scattered with PEGs, parabens, and disodium EDTA.

This means that the word “natural” on the product box really means nothing, even when it adorns a pretty label with a bunch of flowers on it. This allows keen marketers to slap the hot word “natural” on the label.

According to government labeling requirements, “natural” means that an ingredient “has not been significantly altered from its original state, nor has anything been removed from it (with the exception of water), nor have other substances been added to it.” Nothing in this definition prohibits a company from combining the natural ingredient with the most toxic of chemicals. “Natural” products may contain genetically modified organisms that were grown with synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, small amounts of which seep into our skin. Unlike organic, natural products are not certified by third parties, and their ingredients can still be grown in sewage sludge.

Synthetic beauty manufacturers and affiliated media insist there is no such thing as a 100 percent natural or organic ingredient. To distill an essential oil or collect beeswax, they say, we have to use chemically enhanced machinery and unnatural tools made of plastic and metal. For instance, cocamide DEA is derived from coconut oil. Coconut oil is a perfectly natural source, so what’s not natural about it?

Usage of metal machinery and plastic tools should be the least of your concerns when it comes to the difference between synthetic and organic. The truth is, the manufacturing process of cocamide DEA, just like many ingredients with DEA, TEA, andMEA in their names, requires the use of carcinogenic synthetic chemicals triethanolamine (TEA), monoethanola-mine (MEA), or diethanolamine (DEA). So even if something comes from a natural source, it doesn’t mean it’s organic and generally good for you.

This means that skin care products with at least one organic ingredient used in large quantities can be labeled “organic,” regardless of the origin of the other ingredients used in them. This is why you should become ingredient-savvy and learn to spot potentially toxic ingredients even if they are tossed between certified organic aloe vera juice and grape seed extract. One organic ingredient doesn’t make the beauty product safe and pure, and you are no better off using it than any other conventional product from a drugstore shelf.

“There are many ‘hybrid natural’ ingredients used in ‘green’ cosmetics,” reminds Debra Lynn Dadd, the proclaimed Queen of Green by the
New York Times
. “For example, sodium laureth sulfate is called a natural ingredient because it’s made of coconut oil. But since there are so many chemicals added to it, it’s not the same as putting coconut oil on your skin. I could never understand why you have to put artificial colors in a product that is made from oils and juices from a rain forest. I think if a brand is natural, it should be only using natural ingredients. After talking to so many companies, I understood they are not trying to be natural. They take their old formulas and add one or two natural ingredients. While there’s nothing wrong with that, people get the idea that these brands are completely natural. As long as the brands are accurate about what they are, I can choose whether to use them or not. The problem comes when a company presents itself as natural while they aren’t.”

The bottom line is this: a truly natural beauty product should be safe enough to eat. It may not be delicious, but it should be safe and wholesome. Vodka, as harsh as it is, can make a wonderful warming compress that may soothe your cystic acne overnight. At the same time, all you’d expose yourself to is alcohol derived from wheat. It can get you drunk, it can make you perform the chicken dance at a corporate party, but it won’t make you ill unless you grossly overdo it or drive under the influence. If you choose to pick just one piece of advice from this book, make it this: anything you apply to your skin ends up inside your body just as if you had ingested it. So whenever you put something on your skin, think: would I really want to eat this?

Anything you apply to your skin ends up inside your body just as if you had ingested it. So whenever you put something on your skin, think: would I really want to eat this?

Are You Confused by Organic Labels?

How many times have you purchased an “organic” shampoo only to discover the same old sodium laureth sulfate, triethanolamine, and parabens among its ingredients? This happens because organic labeling in the United States is pretty much in disarray. Current labeling techniques used by most popular organic personal care products allow placing virtually any claim on the label.

To help define what’s truly green when it comes to cosmetic products, the U.S. Organic Consumers Association (OCA) conducted an expansive consumer survey in 2007. The survey was taken by more than 5,500 consumers who regularly purchase organic products. In fact, they said that most or “a good portion” of their personal care products contained organic ingredients.

You may think that such green connoisseurs would know their stuff. Not true! Nearly half of the survey respondents incorrectly believed that a product labeled as “made with organic ingredients” meant that “all” or “nearly all” of the ingredients were organic. In reality, there are no federal regulations requiring personal care products labeled as “made with organic ingredients” to contain any particular level of organic ingredients, and most personal care products using this label are made up of 70 percent or less organic ingredients.

In any store, in any period of time, 95 percent of shampoos, creams, and body washes are not organic enough to meet the criteria required to use the USDA organic seal. These products, which often contain multiple conventional synthetic ingredients, simply list a certifying agency for the organic ingredients contained in the product. Even if a product contains certified organic aloe vera, this doesn’t mean that the rest of the ingredients are organic as well! The OCA survey revealed that consumers are confused by the listing of the certifying agency or wording such as “contains certified organic ingredients” and falsely assume that it means the whole product is organic.

One thing seems certain: the overwhelming majority of organic beauty shoppers believe that a product with a derivation of the word “organic” in its brand name should either be 100 percent organic, or, at the very least, should not contain harmful synthetic detergents and preservatives. Many believe that products with only a few organic ingredients in the formulation should also bear a warning: “This product also contains synthetic ingredients.”

Many organizations certify organic products and ingredients. They set a number of strict standards for how the plants are grown, harvested, stored, processed, packaged, and shipped. Such standards vary slightly from country to country but are generally the same: the farmer or producer must avoid synthetic chemical additives, including fertilizers, pesticides, and antibiotics, as well as genetically modified organisms and sewage sludge. The farmland must be free from chemicals for more than three years, depending on the country, and all the production stages must be transparent, open for audit and frequent inspections.

Today, only the United States, the European Union, and Japan have clear and well-defined organic standards that are formulated and over-understanding seen by governments, so the term “organic” may be used only by certified producers. In the United States, you can confidently buy organic produce when you see the round, green-and-white “USDA Organic” label issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In France, organic certificates are issued by ECOCERT, and in the United Kingdom organic standards are maintained by the Soil Association and Organic Farmers and Growers. In countries that have no established organic laws, certification is handled by nonprofit organizations and private companies.

No wonder we are confused by all these shades of organic and green. Both manufacturers and consumers have been confused. The chemical industry defines “organic” as any compound containing carbon. Apologists of synthetic skin care say that this makes methylparaben perfectly organic, since it is derived from crude oil, which is formed by dead foliage and animal carcasses rotting underground over millions of years. By saying this, they try to nullify the meaning of organic and turn the organic movement into another fad.

Current U.S. legislation allows products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients to use the phrase “made with organic ingredients” and to list up to three of the organic ingredients on the label. Processed products that contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients cannot use the term “organic” other than to identify specific ingredients that are organically produced in the ingredients statement. For example, a moisturizer made with at least 70 percent organic ingredients and only organic vegetables may be labeled as either “made with organic aloe vera juice,” or “made with organic plant extracts.”

Since February 2008, strict natural and organic certification standards are available for cosmetics, too. The USDA’s National Organic Program has been certifying personal care products for more than four years, but the new IOS Cosmetics Standard was created specifically for North America according to existing European, United States, and Canadian regulations and legislations. “With this standard we aim to bring clarity to natural and organic cosmetics producers and create trust among consumers,” says Brian Lane, president of Certech, the first NorthAmerican organization to verify that the claims made by certified cosmetics are proven and supported by facts through a rigorous, unbiased process.

In order to be certified as natural under the IOS Cosmetics Standard, a minimum of 95 percent of the product must be of natural origin. In addition, certified organic beauty products must also use certified organic ingredients that have been grown, cultivated, and stored without the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, fumigants, or other toxins. The standard also addresses the manufacturing process, which must not use or produce toxins and other harmful substances, and the packaging of the product must be recyclable. The products themselves, as well as their individual ingredients, must not be tested on animals, must be virtually free of synthetic ingredients, and may not contain pesticides, harmful preservatives, artificial colors, or fragrances.

Recently, another organic standard emerged. The OASIS Standard, created by cosmetic industry giants such as Estée Lauder and Hain, is less rigorous than USDA’s National Organic Program certification. According to organic produce manufacturers and legislators, OASIS (Organic and Sustainable Industry Standards), which claims to be the first United States “organic” beauty care standard, “deliberately misleads” organic consumers who are looking for a reliable indicator of true, organic product integrity in personal care.

“The OASIS standard allows a product to be labeled outright as ‘Organic’ (rather than ‘Made with Organic Specified Ingredients’) even if it contains hydrogenated and sulfated cleansing ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate made from conventional agricultural material grown with synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, and preserved with synthetic petrochemical preservatives like Ethylhexylglycerin and Phenoxyethanol. [Reference: OASIS Standard section 6.2 and Anti-Microbial List],” noted Organic Consumers Association in its April 2008 statement.

Doesn’t this seem like a clear case of legitimate organic angel dusting? Today, many products with the word “organic” on the label have as little as 5 percent organic ingredients, and some contain a lot less. Even if a manufacturer uses a 1 percent concentration of organic grape seed extract, it can proudly put “organic” on the product, and now it has an “organic” standard on which to base its claims. Allowing synthetic cleansing ingredients and preservatives to be spiced up by a few “organic” water extracts literally dilutes the whole meaning of organic, since body washes and shampoos are 85 percent water anyway.