Navigating Body Care Labels

There is quite a hub-bub in the natural products world about using the word "organic" on body care product labels and with good reason. There are a number of reasons why this issue has not been addressed as quickly as we would have liked.

For starters, national organic standards and regulations were created for food. Body care products are not intended to be eaten, so very few body care products have even tried to attain USDA Certified Organic status.

The USDA oversees the term "organic," primarily on food. The FDA is in charge of body care products, so there has been uncertainty over how the term "organic" can be used in body care products. There is now movement by these agencies to work closely together to enforce organic labeling regulations on body care products. There has been particular concern over products that are not certified organic yet use the word "organic" or "organics" in the the product or company name. We look forward to clarifications soon.

As a Certified Organic Retailer we fully support organic standards and truth in labeling. Through our membership in the National Cooperative Grocers Association, we have been working with the USDA to remedy the lapse in organic body care labeling for several years.

In the meanwhile, all sorts of certifications have been showing up on our labels, some of which do include the term "organic" and others attempt to define what "natural" means in body care products.

Here are some of the labels we have been seeing, and what we know about them now. This is still a bit of a moving target, but we'll do our best to keep you updated.

USDA Certified Organic: If you are looking for a Certified Organic personal care product, check for the Certifying Agent on the label. It will clearly say "Certified Organic by..." and will also name the Accredited Certifying Agent. These products meet USDA requirements (pdf).

USDA Made with Organic Ingredients: These products must contain at least 70% organic ingredients, list the Accredited Certifying Agent, and meet the USDA requirements.

NSF International's "Contains Organic Ingredients": NSF/ANSI 305 (pdf) is a private standard that requires 70% of ingredients to be certified organic by a third party. It allows certain chemical processes not allowed under USDA rules and requires the percentage of organic ingredients be listed on the label.

NaTrue: The Natural and Organic Cosmetic Association standard is another private one that uses a three star system to label body care as "natural", "natural with organic ingredients", and "organic".

NPA Natural: This private standard from the Natural Products Association requires that products be made of at least 95% natural ingredients.

BDIH: This private standard created by a German Trade group offers the "certified natural cosmetics" label.

Wedge Award: We use the Wedge Award to highlight products that meet our highest stands of purity. They are free of ingredients we find unacceptable including but not limited to: parabens, phthalates, and sodium lauryl sulfate. Look for the green Wedge Award signs throughout the Body Care Department.

We strive to offer a range of products that meet our customers' demands. Our staff members are always happy to answer your questions and help you find what you need.