Posted by Christine on September 26, 2008 at 2:38pm
When shopping for personal care products, there is an amazing array of bath and body products for your choosing. The labels scream "organic", "natural", "made with organic ingredients" and the like. You certainly want to choose the best for your health and your family's health, so your question may be, "What's the difference?" Read on for the facts about organic body products.1. The FDA (Federal Department of Agriculture) does not regulate or define the term "organic" in reference to personal body care products. In other words, the government does not certify organic body care products as "officially organic" but they do regulate the ingredients that are contained within that body product.2. In order to be certified organic, the product must be made up of organic agricultural ingredients (such as cocoa butter, shea butter, herbs and oils). In addition, the way in which the ingredients are produced, the handlers of these ingredients and manufacturer of the final product must be certified by an organic certifying agent who is USDA accredited. (Water and salt are excluded from the ingredients.)There are several levels of certification for these organic body products:4. A product which is labeled as "100 percent organic" indicates that the product includes only organically produced ingredients. These products carry a USDA Organic Seal and display the certifying agent's name and address.5. A product which is labeled "organic" should contain at least 95% organic ingredients and the remaining percentage of the ingredients must be on the approved National List of approved substances organic products. These organic body products will display the USDA organic seal as well as the certifying agent's name and address.6. "Made with organic ingredients" indicates that the particular product contains at least 70% organic ingredients. These products cannot carry the USDA organic seal but must display the certifying agent's name and address.7. An "organic body product" with less than 70% organic ingredients cannot use the term "organic" on the main label. They should not carry the USDA seal, nor the certifying agent's name/address.Understand that while the USDA does regulate agricultural ingredients that go into the organic body products, they do not regulate and have no authority over the labeling or production of products that do not utilized agricultural ingredients. Which basically means if that mascara you're buying claims to be "organic" it's most likely is not. In addition, be aware that the organic body products that you may purchase in the store might also be certified by private agents that are not connected with the USDA and thus are subject to private standards, not the government's.Hopefully, this information will assist you in making an informed choice when you visit the personal care product section of your local store.Founded on the principles of natural skin and body care, neosoul.essentials, llc carries all natural, preservative free products for bath and body. Visit www.neosoulessentials.com for product information.
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