Consumers are more aware of the unsafe ingredients like parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, and synthetic fragrances that are being used to manufacture personal care products, such as shampoo, make-up, and deodorant. Because of the desire to seek out alternative solutions the natural and organic product market has become one of the fastest growing areas in the personal care arena with $8.2 billion in consumer sales in the U.S. in 2010, according to Nutrition Business Journal, and sales totals are estimated to be similar for 2011.
What is natural? What is organic?
These terms are used very loosely because, unlike the food industry, there are no legal standards for organic or natural personal care products sold in the U.S. The term "natural" can be anything from crude-oil to plant-based ingredients. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the term "organic" is not included in any of their laws or regulations for cosmetics, therefore the term is not recognized for cosmetics. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses the term "organic" to refer to the "use of sustainable agricultural production practices." Therefore, per the FDA guidelines, any cosmetic products that are labeled with organic claims must comply with both USDA regulations for the organic claim and FDA regulations for labeling and safety requirements for cosmetics.
Companies not afraid to disclose their ingredients
Consumers are catching on to the way the terms natural and organic are being used, which force the natural and organic companies to disclose all their ingredients. Cosmetic manufacturers are now raising their standards for what ingredients go into their products and as a result the suppliers are providing high quality ingredients to continue to be a valuable service. More and more companies are following suit which make the consumers happy.
How did this industry movement start?
The European Union (EU) has, so far, banned 1,100 ingredients from being used in their personal care products sold in the EU, while the U.S. has only banned 11. With this inconsistency the Compact for Safe Cosmetics was initiated in 2004 with the hopes of eliminating what they call the "double standard," meaning companies would make the same product for both the EU and the U.S., however, what is considered the "safe" formulation would be sold in the EU and the "unsafe" formulation would be sold in the U.S. By signing the Compact, companies would agree to reformulate the U.S. product version to meet the same standards as the one sold in the EU.
The Champion companies of the natural and organic personal care market
Both international and national regulatory consistency is an ongoing effort (read the article: No More Toxic Products: Support the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011), but it looks promising. In the seven years that it was active, the Compact for Safe Cosmetics received over 1,500 signatures from companies pledging to make safer products. Given the name Champions, 321 companies met all of the requirements set out by the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, including avoiding ingredients prohibited in other countries, disclosing all ingredients, even the ones in "fragrance," and submitting products to the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Skin Deep cosmetics database.
A brief list of these Champion companies include:
- Avalon Organics
- Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps
- Earth Mama Angel Baby
- Juice Beauty, Inc.
- Terressentials
- Yes To Carrots
- YOREGANICS
To see the full list of Champion companies click here.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed January 4, 2012.
- The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Accessed January 4, 2012.
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