As with organic food, organic skin-care products aren't new, they've just gone mainstream. When you opt for organics, not only your skin benefits but also the planet. The plants used to make organic skin-care products are grown without synthetic pesticides, hormones, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or other chemicals.
But with aisles of personal products, how do you know what to look for?
Manufacturers are allowed to label their products as organic based on ingredient thresholds established by the National Organic Program of the USDA and the National Organic Standard for Canada. Products labeled "100-percent organic" must contain 100-percent, certified-organic ingredients. "Organic" products must contain at least 95-percent, certified-organic ingredients. These two categories of products are eligible to display the USDA's organic seal. Products labeled "Made with organic ingredients" must contain at least 75-percent organic materials.
"Organic consumers are just as interested in what their products do not contain as in what they do contain." says Dr. Leslie Baumann, director of the University of Miami Cosmetic Center and author of "The Skin Type Solution" (Bantam, 2006). "The organic label assures that the key cleansing and conditioning ingredients are derived from organically grown plant products."
Products from other countries carry different certifications. Kirstin Binder, founder and president of Saffron Rouge (www.saffronrouge.com and www.saffronrouge.ca), an online source for organic skin care products from around the world, recommends consumers check that their products carry certifications such as BDIH (Germany), Cosmébio by Ecocert (France), the Soil Association (UK), AIAB (Italy), Eco-Garantie (Belgium) and NASAA (Australia).
"Natural," however, is not the same as "organic." "If you find a product that claims to be 'natural' or boasts 'natural' ingredients, that's no guarantee that it's organic," Baumann says. The only standard for "natural" is that the ingredient is not significantly altered from its original state, but natural ingredients are not held to organic standards, meaning natural products may contain GMOs, pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals.
So should you run to your bathroom and toss everything in the trash? Not necessarily. But it's worth your time to read the ingredients in products and understand what it is you're putting on your skin. Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetic safety database (www.cosmeticdatabase.com) rates the safety of ingredients in nearly 25,000 products. Once you know the relative safety of your current stash, you can decide whether or not to try some products that contain organic ingredients.
After all, your skin is your body's largest organ and works both ways – through secretion and absorption. Some products are pore-blocking (comedogenic) and prevent your skin from adequately secreting toxins from your system. Likewise, your skin absorbs what you apply to it, so it makes sense to avoid potentially harmful ingredients.
Not every ingredient that's hard to pronounce is bad for you, but Binder of Saffron Rouge recommends avoiding these 10 in general:
1. Chlorophensin
2. Diazolidinyl urea
3. Parabens (Ethyl-, Methyl-, Butyl-, Propylparaben)
4. Carbomer
5. Propylene glycol
6. Petrolatum/mineral oil
7. Triethanolamine (TEA)
8. D&C colors (synthetic)
9. Synthetic fragrance
10. 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1, 3-diol (bronopol)
"Parabens are used in many cosmetics and skin-, hair- and body-care products and can sometimes produce allergic reactions," Baumann says. "One controversial study found high concentrations of parabens in breast cancer tissue."
Baumann points out that "on average, women use seven or more skin, hair and beauty products per day. The ingredients in those various products could potentially interact or lead to a higher combined rate of exposure to certain ingredients."
But we're all exposed to many chemicals from many sources every day, from food to air pollutants to household products. "This makes it hard for each of us to assess our own particular health-care risks," Baumann says. "That's why many organic consumers choose to limit chemical exposures as a precaution, including in their topical care."
Of course, the health of your skin doesn't just come from a jar. What you put in your body has an even greater effect on your skin's health than what you put on it, but the two work in tandem.
Organic skin-care products contain food-grade ingredients, so while you probably wouldn't want to eat them, in most instances, you could. "Organic skin care is developed using nature's plants," Binder says. "Plants naturally contain minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids and antioxidants, all the things that feed your skin and help your skin to renew. When you're using organic plants, you're ensuring that no residual chemicals are entering your skin."
Yes, organic products cost more, but you get what you pay for, and you can't put a price on wellness.
"My health and my skin are always my first investment," says Kelley West, Chicago, an independent communications consultant and longtime user of organic skin care. "Organic food in the body, organic products on the body. That's just the natural law in my world. Whoever said 'Beauty is only skin deep' couldn't have been more wrong. You create and maintain beauty within and without."
