Organic Skin Care - The Battle Rages on Without a Clear Definition of What It Really Means
Organic skin care is a hot topic these days but the real problem of understanding the term "organic" has to do with how it's being defined, or more ironically, how it isn't.
The challenge with organic skin care as a label is that the cosmetic industry can't seem to agree on a standard. With so many competing factions trying to claim that they are organic while their counterparts are not, makes for a wild, and often, contentious ride.
Add to this the absence of any regulating body to serve as referee by clearly defining the rules, and it comes as no surprise that total bewilderment exists.
Meanwhile, we as consumers are grabbing for organic skin care products of every kind in ever-increasing numbers. And sadly, we are likely being duped in the process, since there is no clear definition of what the word truly means. In fact, the label has such little meaning industry-wide that almost anything can be claimed to be organic with little, if any, justification.
All the while, the cash registers just keeps on ringing as the cosmetic industry rockets on with no apparent signs of slowing down.
If any of this sounds just a little cynical, it probably is. After all, if a skin care company calls its product organic, shouldn't it have to deliver on its promise? Unfortunately, the answer is no! So you might ask yourself, just what are in those beautiful jars, tubes and bottles we purchase in such record numbers, anyway? And why do we pay so much for them?
Luckily, there's some good news on this front - although we're not there quite yet. Here's what I mean. Realizing that the organic movement is here to stay, a consortium of US natural products companies is following the lead initiated in 2008 by certification groups in Europe to propose a set of organic standards for the cosmetic industry. Work is yet to be completed but steps in the right direction are being taken.
Still yet another consortium of US companies, including cosmetics giants Estee Lauder and L'Oreal, among others, is trying to best Europe's efforts by insisting that organic product labels be supported with 85% organic content with plans to increase the requirement to 95% by 2012.
These attempts, however, have not been well received by the Organic Consumers Association, a grassroots non-profit organization. Not to be bullied by cosmetic giants that have the dollars and research resources to define standards, they insist that the efforts underway to define a standard are those that serve their interests and not necessarily that of the consumer. In short, these large companies, they argue, have an unfair advantage.
Many think the resistance on the part of the Organic Consumer Organization is nothing more than a case of creating delay to ensure that small cosmetic manufacturers aren't being muscled into a standard that they have little say about. Only time will tell who will win.
While these battles rage on in search of a universal standard everyone can accept, there are some companies that have turned a blind eye to much of the drama taking place within the industry and produce products with only one thing in mind - simply to provide high quality, organic skin care using only the most pristine ingredients available.
One such company hails from the remote country of New Zealand and is creating the latest cutting-edge products from all over the world to do just exactly that. Their intense focus on innovation in natural skin care is what matters most.
Some of their ingredients bear familiar names such as Natural vitamin E or jojoba oil, while others are more exotic such as Phytessence Wakame and Xtend-TK.
Whether they are familiar to you or not, all of the ingredients they use are clearly listed on their labels and are 100% chemical, preservative and fragrance-free.
And more importantly, because they are also 100% organic, they correctly bear the organic label which has been so greatly misused within the industry.
Organic skin care is a hot topic these days but the real problem of understanding the term "organic" has to do with how it's being defined, or more ironically, how it isn't.
The challenge with organic skin care as a label is that the cosmetic industry can't seem to agree on a standard. With so many competing factions trying to claim that they are organic while their counterparts are not, makes for a wild, and often, contentious ride.
Add to this the absence of any regulating body to serve as referee by clearly defining the rules, and it comes as no surprise that total bewilderment exists.
Meanwhile, we as consumers are grabbing for organic skin care products of every kind in ever-increasing numbers. And sadly, we are likely being duped in the process, since there is no clear definition of what the word truly means. In fact, the label has such little meaning industry-wide that almost anything can be claimed to be organic with little, if any, justification.
All the while, the cash registers just keeps on ringing as the cosmetic industry rockets on with no apparent signs of slowing down.
If any of this sounds just a little cynical, it probably is. After all, if a skin care company calls its product organic, shouldn't it have to deliver on its promise? Unfortunately, the answer is no! So you might ask yourself, just what are in those beautiful jars, tubes and bottles we purchase in such record numbers, anyway? And why do we pay so much for them?
Luckily, there's some good news on this front - although we're not there quite yet. Here's what I mean. Realizing that the organic movement is here to stay, a consortium of US natural products companies is following the lead initiated in 2008 by certification groups in Europe to propose a set of organic standards for the cosmetic industry. Work is yet to be completed but steps in the right direction are being taken.
Still yet another consortium of US companies, including cosmetics giants Estee Lauder and L'Oreal, among others, is trying to best Europe's efforts by insisting that organic product labels be supported with 85% organic content with plans to increase the requirement to 95% by 2012.
These attempts, however, have not been well received by the Organic Consumers Association, a grassroots non-profit organization. Not to be bullied by cosmetic giants that have the dollars and research resources to define standards, they insist that the efforts underway to define a standard are those that serve their interests and not necessarily that of the consumer. In short, these large companies, they argue, have an unfair advantage.
Many think the resistance on the part of the Organic Consumer Organization is nothing more than a case of creating delay to ensure that small cosmetic manufacturers aren't being muscled into a standard that they have little say about. Only time will tell who will win.
While these battles rage on in search of a universal standard everyone can accept, there are some companies that have turned a blind eye to much of the drama taking place within the industry and produce products with only one thing in mind - simply to provide high quality, organic skin care using only the most pristine ingredients available.
One such company hails from the remote country of New Zealand and is creating the latest cutting-edge products from all over the world to do just exactly that. Their intense focus on innovation in natural skin care is what matters most.
Some of their ingredients bear familiar names such as Natural vitamin E or jojoba oil, while others are more exotic such as Phytessence Wakame and Xtend-TK.
Whether they are familiar to you or not, all of the ingredients they use are clearly listed on their labels and are 100% chemical, preservative and fragrance-free.
And more importantly, because they are also 100% organic, they correctly bear the organic label which has been so greatly misused within the industry.