5 Organic Skin Care Tips You Need
Related Articles What You Must Know About Natural Skin Care Products |
Natural skin care products are the rage today. Know about organic? “Organic” is the term used to describe food that is grown without synthetic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, fertilizers or other synthetic or toxic substances. Organic foods must be free of artificial flavors or colors. Nor will organic certification be granted to foods that have been irradiated or to foods that are based on genetically modified organisms.
The term organic is commonly used to refer to foods and products that are wholesome and natural. Organics go beyond natural skin care products. Organic and facial skin care products have become the latest fad for people who are interested in avoiding the harmful chemicals of traditional products. But what does the term organic really mean? And how can you be sure that the products you are using are truly organic?
Read on to learn more about the standards of organic skin care products and what to look for when checking if your products fit the bill.
Health articles and the Food and Drug Administration, in order for products to be considered organic and not just natural skin care products, must be free of all of the harmful substances for at least three years. In October 2002 the U.S. Department of Agriculture passed a new national standard for organic labeling. This new standard includes three label classifications.
- 100% Organic. This USDA (US Department of Agriculture) Organic seal can be used only by products that exclusively contain organically produced ingredients.
- Organic. Products labeled "organic" must contain at least 95% organic ingredients.
- Made with Organic Ingredients. These products do no qualify to bear the USDA Organic seal. But in order to make this advertising claim, they must contain at least 70% organic ingredients.
According to health articles and the FDA, "...a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA" (FDA 1995).
While some companies make facial skin care products that would be safe enough to eat, other companies choose to use known human carcinogens or developmental toxins like coal tar and lead acetate. The best way to differentiate between truly organic skin care products and those that just claim to be so is to carefully read the ingredient list on the product label. All skin care products must legally list their ingredients on their packaging, in descending order based on quantity by total volume. A good rule of thumb is to divide the ingredient list into thirds: the top third usually contains 90-95% of the product; the middle third usually contains 5-8% and the bottom third, 1-3%.
Health articles say organic skin care is becoming big business. When you are choosing skin care, personal care and cosmetic products, you should become a label detective. This is the only way to ensure you purchase honest and truly natural and organic skin care products.
Skin Care Tip #1 – Natural Skin Care Is Not Always Natural
There are two definitions of the word natural. The dictionary definition: “Existing in or, formed by, nature.” The cosmetic industry definition: ”Any ingredient derived from a natural substance.” Cocamide-DEA may well be from coconut oil, but a synthetic chemical called diethanolamine is used in the extraction process. It is known to cause cancer. An ingredient is not really natural if it has been processed in this way.
Skin Care Tip #2 – Read Product Labels
The top third of the ingredients label generally lists the ingredients that comprise around 90-98% of the product. Most of this is usually water.
The middle third generally represents approximately 5-8% of the product.
The bottom third represents around 1-3%.
Skin Care Tip #3 – How Much Water Is In The Product?
Because the water constitutes 70+ percent of the overall product, the manufacturer is allowed to claim that the product is 73% organic at the top of the label (remember # 1 in this article?).
If you removed the water, the actual organic content of those fancy herbal infusions would probably be less than 0.05% of the total product.
Skin Care Tip #4 – Be Aware Of Labeling Standards
In some countries, ingredients that are not allowed in certified organic foods ARE allowed in certified organic personal care and cosmetic products. This represents a lack of continuity or consistency in labeling standards.
Skin Care Tip #5 – If It Harms Lab Animals, It Will Harm You!
You will discover that in order to give a rat cancer or Parkinson’s Disease, it is injected with some of the very same chemicals that you will find in your cleverly labeled organic skin care, personal care and cosmetic products.
In conclusion, at the present time, the FDA does not closely monitor the labeling of organic skin care products. However, this may soon change, as many manufacturers and consumers are demanding better transparency and accountability for organic skin care products.
In particular, many consumers are hoping to avoid the toxic chemicals and synthetic ingredients found in most traditional skin care and facial skin care products. But unfortunately, most products that are labeled "natural" or even "organic" cannot be fully trusted.
You can find the best natural skin care products at www.ihd.myarbonne.com.
Related Articles What You Must Know About Natural Skin Care Products |
This article is brought to you by IH Distribution, LLC.
Bringing you health, anti-aging, and skin care products from around the world
Shop online: www.ihd.myarbonne.com
or contact us: sales@hormones-beauty-health.com
Please share the content of these articles with your friends, family and colleagues. Reprint rights granted. All reprints, must include an active link to www.hormones-beauty-health.com. Content may not be altered and articles must be used as distributed by IH Distribution, LLC
Copyright © IH Distribution LLC 2004
Return to Articles Index
Eczema Skin Care
