Those of you who read my posts on Facebook have seen this already, but I thought it was worth "preserving" here. For anyone who reads this blog but doesn't read my Facebook, most of my shorter thoughts go there and/or Twitter.
Labels that say "Organic" and "All Natural" on skin care and cosmetics products mean NOTHING. People assume they're safer, more healthful, and better for the environment, but all-too-often the opposite is true. The only exception is if a product has the USDA organic seal on it. (Consider the definition of "organic" that means a substance contains carbon. Substances such as pesticide and herbicides, for instance.)
Even when the product does have that seal, that means that the plant-based ingredients were grown according to the practices that define organic foods. Organically-grown means nothing if it's, say, hemlock. Organic also doesn't mean sustainable. Gathering wild-grown endangered plants still counts as organic.
The label "all-natural" literally means nothing; there are no regulations regarding when that label can go on your product. As people who take herbal supplements know, the quality and concentration of natural ingredients can vary widely. This means that they can't be stringently safety tested.
There's a misconception that "all-natural" means better for you and better for the environment. "Natural" ingredients don't mean sustainably harvested or even organically-grown ingredients. Foxglove is natural.
People often get up in arms about ingredients like parabens. The argument is that they're endocrine disruptors. Parabens are in blueberries, kids. As far as endocrine disruptors, you're not going to find a product on the market that has a concentration of parabens that can even begin to compare with the impact of the enthusiastically-adored, touted, and lauded soy. Now THERE is an endocrine disruptor for you. There ARE ingredients to watch out for and avoid, but there aren't nearly as many of them as some folks would like you to believe.
Finally, if a label says "not tested on animals," be sure that company didn't just contract out to another company to test on animals for them. It's a disgusting practice, but it happens.
Greenwashing and deceptive product labels are insidious and far-too-widespread practices in the skin care and cosmetics industries. Know your ingredients--for real. Get your information from reputable and unbiased-as-possible sources. If every ingredient on a list is THE WORST IN THE WORLD, you're probably not looking at a legitimate source of information.
Also, know your companies. Burt's Bees is owned by Clorox; Ben & Jerry's by Unilever; Tom's of Maine by Colgate-Palmolive; Odwalla by Coca-Cola...the list goes on and on and on. Feel free to ask me for details. Also be sure to check out the safety, environmental, and social responsibility policies of those parent companies.
Shopping conscientiously and healthfully is far more complex and daunting than it seems on the surface. I'm always happy to help you wade through the muck; it's what I do, after all.
Safe, environmentally responsible, socially responsible and effective products for the win!
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