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Since starting on my wellness journey, I have learned a lot about our personal care and beauty industry and its products. One thing I’ve noticed is the big push to move towards organic or natural ingredients.
Now, this push mainly applies to food, particularly with the farm to table trend that is exploding. But related to this, I also see people looking for organic beauty products or natural beauty products. And companies, in turn, seem to be responding.
I wish I could tell you that this growing trend to offer safe, green, organic, and natural beauty products was a good thing. But to my dismay, what I’ve found is that most products with these labels really aren’t any safer than those products laced with toxins.
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So what does it mean when a company labels their personal care and beauty products as safe, green, organic, and/or natural? Well, legally, not much.
Here are 3 reasons why you shouldn’t “buy” into the organic and natural labeling hype.
#1 – The Industry is Largely Unregulated
Congress has not passed a major federal law regulating the personal care and beauty industry since 1938. And the regulations that do exist are relatively small, given that it takes approximately only 1.5 – 2 pages total to outline them.
Because of this, there are major loopholes within federal law. So personal care products and cosmetics can be labeled as “natural” without containing ingredients that accurately meet those descriptions.
One silver lining, though, is that the National Organic Program (NOP) sets the US federal standards for the management and enforcement of all USDA-certified organic products. So there is meaning when you see this claim, but note that it does need to be USDA-certified organic. Simply being labeled “organic” is not enough to uphold this certification.
Also, PLEASE be weary of products and brands which hype being FDA approved, since this really doesn’t mean anything. The FDA basically has NO power in this industry.
#2 – Not All Organic Beauty Product or Natural Beauty Product Ingredients are Safe
There are many, many ingredients that are natural which aren’t safe. Formaldehyde is natural. So is arsenic. Poison Ivy is natural too, but you wouldn’t want to rub it all over your body, would you?
Vitamin A is also something found naturally, but when it builds up in your body over a long period of time, chronic toxicity occurs. This can cause both liver damage and increased pressure on your brain.
My point is just because an ingredient truly is natural, does not mean that it is safe.
If you would like to know my go-to brand for both personal care and beauty products which truly uses safer ingredients (this is, in fact, the mission of their brand), please message me on FB here!
#3 Labeling Products as Organic, Natural, Green, and Safe Are Purely Marketing Terms
In an industry that is largely unregulated, companies and brands are free to run wild with their marketing (and believe me, they do!). Given that Congress nor the FDA has not defined, nor can they enforce, terms such as safe and organic, it is completely legal to label any product as such.
What’s really scary is that some personal care and beauty companies consider known carcinogens “safe” to use in their products simply because they are used in small amounts. It is also not illegal to include them.
Consider all of the companies that are out there following this “guideline” and the fact that combining these products can lead to high levels of carcinogens in your bloodstream. Yuck!
So do your research! Be diligent in researching the ingredients used in your products, or at least be diligent in researching the company that is providing your products.
Look for companies that are completely transparent with their ingredients. This can be hard to find since there are so many out there that hide behind loopholes such as the word fragrance. There are also many companies which do claim to be transparent yet refuse to disclose what is making up their fragrance ingredient…….something that I personally do not trust.
If you would like to know my favorite company for personal care and beauty products, please message me on Facebook here!
OR, if you would like to start doing your own research and are in need of a way to decode some of the toxins that could be contained in your “natural beauty products” or your “organic beauty products“, then please be sure to pick up my FREE guide by clicking the button below. NOTE: This is also a great resource, in general, to start with when trying to weed out the toxins in your any of your personal care and beauty products.
Download My 5 MUST-HAVE Smartphone Apps Guide Here
I hope that you have found some value in this list, especially if you have just started to make your shift to safer personal care and beauty products!
If you have found value, please share by clicking on the icons below this article! I’d love to help your friends in their journey as well!
Until next time……..
Here’s to achieving true wellness!
*Legal Disclaimer – All information provided above is for educational purposes only. Information should not be construed as medical or legal advice in any capacity and is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure disease.