The Black Sheep of the Organic Industry
September 16, 2008 by Carolin
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When will we start putting REAL demands on the cosmetics and skin care industry?
The organic industry is booming. We buy more and more organic foods. We search for organic clothing, and organic gardening is becoming really popular.
One industry that has been left out is the cosmetics industry. Sure there is mineral makeup and products that are called “natural” or “organic”.
But what do the words “natural” or “organic” mean to the cosmetics industry?
For example one common skin care ingredient is methyl paraben. Metyl paraben has been found in breast cancer tumors but since it is made of carbon it can actually be called “organic”.
Is this a matter of ethics or is it simply human business without rules and regulations?
No matter how much we wish that we lived in an ethical world, we have to realize that we don’t. No matter what industry most companies are there to make money, period. I don’t believe that the cosmetics industry does not have less ethics than other industries.
But the food industry is full of regulations. While the cosmetics industry is pretty much free to do what they want.
This is from the FDA Handbook:
“With the exception of color additives and a few prohibited ingredients a cosmetic manufacturer may, on his own responsibility, use essentially any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without approval. “
I guess that is fine if you believe that what we put on our skin is not absorbed. Or that it does not affect us. But who still believes that today?
Skin care on the market today is loaded with toxins that can cause:
- irritation
- allergy
- cancer
- liver and kidney damage
- headaches
- fatigue
- free radicals that damages and ages your skin
- acne
- irritability
- hyperactivity
- brain damage
- damage to the developing fetus
This Saturday a business article in redOrbit claimed that:
“Piggybacking on the popularity of the organic food movement, hundreds of skin and body care products have added “organic” to their labels. Unfortunately, the word is often just marketing hype, and products can contain a long list of chemical and synthetic ingredients. Many of these chemicals are known carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and neurotoxins.”
The article continues:
“Research shows that the skin and scalp readily absorb chemicals and toxins. In fact, toxins absorbed through the skin and scalp can be even more harmful than those that are ingested, because they bypass the liver’s detoxification process and pass directly into die bloodstream and fat cells.”
The only way around this is to choose Certified Organic products. Skin care can be certified organic just like food. A moisturizer that Certified Organic to Food Standards has such high quality ingredients that you can eat it just like organic food. It’s better than the conventional food in your grocery store.
This is the kind of skin care and cosmetics that will nourish and care for your skin without compromises. The problem is that these products are hard to find.
Narelle Chenery is a woman of ethics. She creates skin care and cosmetics that are pure, natural and organic. She uses nothing artificial, nothing that is synthetic and she takes no short cuts. Her principle is that EVEY ingredient should be beneficial..
Watch this interview with her.
Narelle’s miessence® products stand in a class of their own with worlds first comprehensive range of certified organic:
The products are Certified Organic to Australian and US standards. Some of the products contain non-agricultural ingredients such as clay and minerals. These ingredients can not be certified organic since they are not produced or grown in any way. They simply exist in nature. These products bear the logo of the Biological Farmers of Australia.
Visit the miessence® website.
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[...] CyberYum - Yummy Food wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt When will we start putting REAL demands on the cosmetics and skin care industry? The organic industry is booming. We buy more and more organic foods. We search for organic clothing, and organic gardening is becoming really popular. One industry that has been left out is the cosmetics industry. Sure there is mineral makeup and products that are called “natural” or “organic”. But what do the words “natural” or “organic” mean to the cosmetics industry? For example one common skin care ingred [...]
I am glad that you have pointed this out. I wouldn’t have known, but I am not surprised, that people take advantage of using Organic designation. I guess we have to be very careful and don’t believe what most advertisers say.
As the cosmetic industry sees increasing demands for truly organic products it will respond be developing them. The more noise that the consumer makes then the faster that will happen.
By the way - the scientific definition of “organic” is carbon based. So gasoline and plastics are organic by that definition.
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