Top 10 Reasons to Use Organic Body Care and Cosmetics ~ organicconsumers.org

1. The Coming Clean Campaign for Organic Integrity
Contrary to popular belief, the US government doesn’t regulate cosmetics and body care
products for safety, long-term health impacts or environmental damage. Many synthetic
chemicals and petroleum-based ingredients found in non-organic certified brands are
harmful to people and the environment.
Consumers can avoid toxic ingredients by using USDA certified Organic Body Care and Cos-
metics. The trouble is, while the USDA allows cosmetics and body care products meeting
National Organic Program (NOP) food & agricultural standards to be certified organic, it
doesn’t police the rampant labeling fraud in the industry, where many brands make organic
claims on their front label, but in fact are neither organic nor certified.
That’s why, as this Story of Stuff Project video, The Story of Cosmetics, points out: “On cos-
metics labels, words like ‘herbal,’ ‘natural,’ even ‘organic’, have no legal definition. That
means that anybody can put anything in a bottle and call it ‘natural.’ And they do!”
Panic! This Product Is Not Organic!
Tired of companies and retailers selling body care products as Organic when
they are not really Organic? Take matters into your own hands: Download
OCA’s Panic! This Product Is Not Organic! stickers at www.is.gd/ef2Hp. (This
PDF is set up to print 30 stickers on a sheet of Avery 48160 address labels.)
Our three primary targets of the month are:
▶ Avalon Organics
▶ Nature’s Gate Organics
▶ Giovanni’s Organic
Don’t bother to sticker these bogus organic body care products in Whole
Foods Markets. Whole Foods, in response to OCA’s Coming Clean Campaign,
has agreed to ban and remove all mislabeled “organic” body care products
from their stores by June of 2011. For a list of stores with Organic Body Care &
Cosmetics Integrity Policies: www.is.gd/ef2OQ
Tell USDA to Stop Organic Fraud!
A growing number of products such as liquid soaps, body washes, facial cleans-
ers, shampoos, conditioners, moisturizing lotions, lip balms, and make-up
are advertised, labeled and marketed as “organic” or “organics” when, in fact,
these products are not organic as generally understood by health and envi-
ronmentally-concerned consumers.
The widespread and blatantly deceptive labeling practices of leading “organic”
personal care brands violate the federal organic law.
In 2009, the USDA National Organic Standards Board passed a recommenda-
tion for “Solving the Problem of Mislabeled Organic Personal Care Products.”
The recommendation urges the USDA’s NOP to make sure that any use of the
word “organic” on a personal care product is backed up by third-party certification to USDA
organic standards.
Currently, as the recommendation describes, “at a given retailer, one may find personal care
products such as shampoos and lotions labeled as ‘organic’ with no clear standards or regu-
latory underpinning for the organic claim—and unless the product is specifically labeled as
‘USDA Organic,’ the word ‘organic’ may be used with impunity. Manufacturers of personal
care products that contain organic ingredients are hindered by a thicket of competing pri-
vate standards and confusion regarding the applicability of the NOP to their products. Trans-
actions lack the regulatory clarity that applies under the NOP to food products that contain
organic ingredients.”
Please send a letter urging the USDA NOP to enforce the current agricultural standards in per-
sonal care, like they do when conventional foods are mislabeled as organic. www.is.gd/ef2ZP
Ask Stores to Adopt Organic Body
Care and Cosmetics Integrity Policies
The Coming Clean Campaign is encouraging retailers
to take action to address widespread organic labeling
fraud in their health and beauty care aisles.
Many brands make organic claims on products whose
main cleansing and moisturizing ingredients are com-
posed in significant part of petrochemicals.
In June 2010, Whole Foods Market took a bold and
meaningful step on behalf of organic integrity when
it adopted a new requirement for its suppliers that will
force major organic cheater brands to drop their bogus
organic claims.
Whole Foods Market’s policy on the
organic labeling of personal care prod-
ucts states: “We believe that the ‘organic’
claim used on personal care products
should have a very similar meaning to
the ‘organic’ claim used on food products,
which is currently regulated by the USDA’s
National Organic Program (NOP). Our
shoppers do not expect the definition of
‘organic’ to change substantially between
the food and the non-food aisles of our
stores.”
Whole Foods’ new policy mandates that
“Organic” or “Made with Organic Ingredi-
ents “ claims must be certified under the
USDA NOP, just like food. A more limited
“Contains Organic Ingredients” claim for
personal care may be certified under the
NSF ANSI 305 standard. Organic claims
that are not certified, including “Organ-
ics” in branding, will not be allowed.
Brands were required to meet an August 1,
2010 deadline to explain how they would
change their labeling or formulations to
comply with the new standard. They have
until June 2011 to be in full compliance.
Brands that did not submit a plan to come
clean are expected to be dropped from store shelves.
Retailers selling non-certified “organic” cosmetics face
a choice. They can follow Whole Foods’ lead and require
truthful labels, or they can continue to enable organic
fraud. Consumers will look unfavorably on retailers
that duck responsibility and continue to profit from the
organic cheater brands that rip off their customers.
What will your store do?
Ask retailers to adopt Organic Body Care and Cosmet-
ics Integrity Policies: www.is.gd/ef2ZP
Find out which local stores have Organic Body Care and
Cosmetics Integrity Policies: www.is.gd/ef2OQ
Written and edited by Alexis Baden-Mayer & Ronnie Cummins · Please post, distribute, & subscribe: organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.cfm
We are Making Positive Change · Our Work Depends on You! Please Donate: www.organicconsumers.org/donations.cfm
Top 10 Reasons to
Use Organic Body
Care and Cosmetics
Non-Organic Body
Care and Cosmetics…
10. Fuel Oil Addiction
9. Spawn Super Weeds
8. Unleash Biocides
7. Contaminate Water
6. Make Us Fat
5. Speed Up Puberty
4. Increase Infertility
3. Cause Birth Defects
2. Give Us Cancer
1. Aren’t Regulated
An Urgent Fundraising Appeal from the Organic Consumers Association
Thanks to everyone who has already made a donation to the OCA this year! We are very grateful to have more supporters than ever! Unfortunately, the
average donation that people are able to give is a lot smaller than in past years. The Great Recession has hurt nearly everyone and we’re all struggling with
less these days. This is definitely true for the OCA. We’ve implemented temporary layoffs and pay cuts and will now be forced to operate with a smaller
staff until the financial situation improves. Please donate as much as you can today. No donation is too small. We have Millions Against Monsanto bumper
stickers for all! Put “Monsanto Bumper Sticker” in the comments field to receive yours. Everyone who gives $100 or more will receive a Millions Against
Monsanto t-shirt. Please put “Monsanto t-shirt” and your size in the comments field. Thank you for your support! organicconsumers.org/donations.cfm
O R G A N I C B Y T E SO r g a n i c C o n s u m e r s A s s o c i a t i o n w w w . o r g a n i c c o n s u m e r s . o r g
Food & Consumer NewsWeekly#237 12 AUG 10