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Natural selection
Organic products are the latest beauty trend, but are they really better for you? ELLE tackles the top questions about going green.
By Karina Goma and Lesley Young
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It's no mystery why we're drawn to products with words like "natural" and "organic" on their labels. But can we assume that these terms are synonymous with "safe" and "chemical-free"? In the fast-growing market for organic cosmetics, such claims aren't well regulated yet and, to add further confusion, there is no slam-dunk proof that an organic moisturizer is any safer than one containing the so-called "toxic" ingredients we're supposed to avoid.
So, before you go green, here are a few things you'll want to know.
1. What does "organic" mean when it comes to cosmetics products? Although Health Canada doesn't have any regulations that define the term "organic," the industry consensus is that it applies to products preservatives and have not been subjected to irradiation of any kind.
2. What's the difference between beauty products that are labelled "natural" and "organic"?
The green cosmetics industry is like a Wild West of sorts because neither Industry Canada (which oversees advertising claims) nor Health Canada regulates or monitors how the words "natural" and "organic" are used in cosmetics products. The industry itself generally holds "organic" to a higher standard (see number 1), while "natural" is used more loosely. "A lot of marketing has gone into the term 'natural,'" says Marie-Ève Roy, communications officer for Équiterre, an environmental group based in Montreal. Not that manufacturers are misrepresenting their products (they still can't make false or misleading claims on their labels), but even big cosmetics companies like L'Oréal admit that making an entirely organic product is extremely challenging. "It took us seven years to create Pro-Xylane [an anti-aging molecule] using green chemistry - a process that produces less pollution and consumes less energy," says Sandrine Michard, vice-president of corporate communications at L'Oréal.
3. How can I tell if a product is really organic?
Ideally, the term "organic" should appear on the label, along with the logo of a certifying organization, such as Ecocert, a European body that inspects not only cosmetics and fragrances but also textiles, food and detergents. "If [Ecocert] calls something 'organic,' it guarantees that 95 percent of the ingredients used come from organic agriculture and that the product has no chemicals," says Roy. Other certifiers include the United States Department of Agriculture and the new, Canadian-based Certech, which introduced its organic-cosmetics standards last November. But don't automatically discount products without these seals of approval. "The high costs and delays associated with the certification process sometimes slow down producers - especially smaller companies," says Roy. "Some products may be organic without having a certification logo on their label."
Image courtesy of ImaxTree.com
Click here to read more.
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