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Tuesday 9 December 2008

Organic cosmetics - is it organic?



The market for natural and organic cosmetics has exploded in recent years, helped by the rising ranks of "green" consumers who are ready to pay a premium for environmentally friendly goods. Or, at least, goods that they perceive to be environmentally friendly: growth in this niche market has been driven by consumer concerns "over the perceived harmful effects of man-made chemicals rather than a desire to support the organic farming industry.

With this urgency of changing lifestyle and the way we use food and cosmetics; Consumers are haphazardly changing their buying habits with cosmetics. Changing to organic cosmetic products, which in itself is fantastic to know that contribution to the environment of saving and using products that are less demanding to our resources is good.
But so many people are not researching enough into an un-tested arena of products relatively new to the market, in some cases untested. This makes the need even more important for people to be extra vigilant in choosing products and to read and know what they are buying into.

With the emphasis on "green living" became an increasingly hot issue, makers of products are pushing natural and ethical claims as a way to differentiate their goods; Cosmetics design Europe, According to preliminary research from Organic Monitor, the European market for natural and organic cosmetics is continuing to grow as consumers seek out products that are ‘chemically-clean’ as well as having eco-friendly qualities.

Large retailers, like Wal-Mart Stores in the United States, or Tesco in Britain, have all started their own lines branded as natural and organic, competing with established cosmetic brands like Estée Lauder and Kiehl's. Consumers can buy almost any toiletry in an organic form, from body scrub and face cleanser to lip balm and shampoo.

Yet the labeling of "organic and natural" cosmetics is virtually unregulated by governments, leaving consumers to rely on industry self-regulation. Some companies have adopted private certification rules developed by groups like the French organic certifier Ecocert, the Soil Association in Britain and the recently established Oasis, or Organic and Sustainable Industry Standards, in the United States.

So what you have is a confusing worldwide separate body governing their own country, but globally everyone is confused as to what consensus agreement to have as regards to an agreed formula for what constitutes as Organic in the industry.
Made from organic means no hydrogenation, sulfation or synthetic preservation of ingredients are allowed, nor are any petrochemicals allowed, and 70 percent organic content is required. Now to a lot of people that is not what they are looking for, when it comes to information. Consumers what to know what is bad for them and to know how do I know the product I am looking at is genuine organic?

There is a growing concern that inadequate regulation of the personal care industry "is going to destroy consumer confidence in the integrity of the organic program, which is essentially a 'truth in advertising' labeling program."

Cosmetics Toxic Ingredients
Instead of simply relying on labels that read “organic,” you should look at the label and choose products that contain few or no artificial fragrances or other unwanted items. If you need to do research on the ingredients in your cosmetics to make sure you are making a wise decision, Information can be obtained of the latest reviews into the safety and progress of the use of organic products.
The cosmetic, toiletry and fragrance association is now the personal care products council


Toxic Cosmetics
The skin is the largest organ of the body. It is our most important immune defence barrier and our largest organ for eliminating waste. Substances applied to the skin can get absorbed into the blood stream. Some experts say that up to 60% of substances applied to the skin can be absorbed into the blood stream.
Many of the skincare products on the market call themselves natural but they are actually full of chemicals. Skincare products only need 1% of natural ingredients to call themselves natural! It is a misleading marketing trick but it sells and it is not illegal.
There are thousands of petroleum based chemicals used in the cosmetics industry - mineral oils and mineral emulsifiers, artificial colours, perfumes and preservatives. Many of them are highly toxic and they can cause all kinds of health problems. Some of them can be absorbed into the skin and even into the blood stream. They can cause all kinds of health problems such as respiratory problems, skin rashes, premature ageing, headaches, cancer etc.
The following is a list of some of the nasty ingredients to watch out for.
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)
Sodium Laureth Sufate
Ammonium Laureth Sulphate (family of SLS)
Aluminium
Animal fat
DEA, MEA, TEA
Dioxins
Elastin
Formaldehyde
Fragrance
Flourocarbons
Mineral Oil
Petrolatum
Padimate-0
Imidazolidiny, Urea and DMDM Hydantoin
PVP/VA Copolymer
Synthetic Colours
Propylene Glycol - Used in antifreeze and also used in caustic spray-on oven cleaners
Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to four thousand separate ingredients, many toxic or carcinogenic.
Symptoms reported to the USA FDA include headaches, dizziness, allergic rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and skin irritation. Clinical observation proves fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, and irritability.
Mineral Oils, Emulsifiers and Waxes
Mineral oils are detrimental to the skin, they coat the skin like plastic, interfering with the bodies healthy functioning, blocking pores and inhibiting the skins ability to eliminate toxins. Some of them sit on the surface of the skin, clogging the pores and making germs more likely to get in and toxins less likely to get out of your body. Mineral oils do not give any nourishment to the skin because they do not contain fatty acids and therefore have no affinity with the skin and cannot be absorbed by the skin.

Ingredients in some products

1. Antibacterial Overuse of antibacterial can prevent them from effectively fighting disease-causing germs like E. coli and Salmonella enterica. Triclosan, widely used in soaps, toothpastes and deodorants, has been detected in breast milk, and one recent study found that it interferes with testosterone activity in cells. Numerous studies have found that washing with regular soap and warm water is just as effective at killing germs.

2. Coal Tar Coal tar is a known human carcinogen used as an active ingredient in dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams. Coal-tar-based dyes such as FD&C Blue 1, used in toothpastes, and FD&C Green 3, used in mouthwash, have been found to be carcinogenic in animal studies when injected under skin.

3. Diethanolamine (DEA) DEA is a possible hormone disruptor, has shown limited evidence of carcinogenicity and depletes the body of choline needed for fetal brain development. DEA can also show up as a contaminant in products containing related chemicals, such as cocamide DEA.
4. Dioxane is a known animal carcinogen and a possible human carcinogen that can appear as a contaminant in products containing sodium laureth sulfate and ingredients that include the terms "PEG," "-xynol," "ceteareth," "oleth" and most other ethoxylated "eth" ingredients. The FDA monitors products for the contaminant but has not yet recommended an exposure limit. Manufacturers can remove dioxane through a process called vacuum stripping, but a small amount usually remains. A 2007 survey by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that most children's bath products contain 10 parts per million or less, but an earlier 2001 survey by the FDA found levels in excess of 85 parts per million.
5. Formaldehyde Formaldehyde has a long list of adverse health effects, including immune-system toxicity, respiratory irritation and cancer in humans. Yet it still turns up in baby bath soap, nail polish, and eyelash adhesive and hair dyes as a contaminant or break-down product of diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea and quaternium compounds.
6. Fragrance The catchall term "fragrance" may mask phthalates, which act as endocrine disruptors and may cause obesity and reproductive and developmental harm. Avoid phthalates by selecting essential-oil fragrances instead.
7. Lead and Mercury Neurotoxic lead may appear in products as a naturally occurring contaminant of hydrated silica, one of the ingredients in toothpaste, and lead acetate is found in some brands of men's hair dye. Brain-damaging mercury, found in the preservative thimerosol, is used in some mascara.
8. Nanoparticles Tiny nanoparticles, which may penetrate the skin and damage brain cells, are appearing in an increasing number of cosmetics and sunscreens. Most problematic are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, used in sunscreens to make them transparent. When possible, look for sunscreens containing particles of these ingredients larger than 100 nanometers. You'll most likely need to call companies to confirm sizes, but a few manufacturers have started advertising their lack of nanoparticle-sized ingredients on labels.
9. Parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl-, isobutyl-) Parabens, which have weak estrogenic effects, are common preservatives that appear in a wide array of toiletries. A study found that butyl paraben damaged sperm formation in the testes of mice, and a relative, sodium methylparaben, is banned in cosmetics by the E.U. Parabens break down in the body into p-hydroxybenzoic acid, which has estrogenic activity in human breast-cancer cell cultures.
10. Petroleum Distillates Possible human carcinogens, petroleum distillates are prohibited or restricted for use in cosmetics in the E.U. but are found in several U.S. brands of mascara, foot-odour powder and other products. Look out for the terms "petroleum" or "liquid paraffin."
11. P-Phenylenediamine Commonly found in hair dyes, this chemical can damage the nervous system, cause lung irritation and cause severe allergic reactions. It's also listed as 1, 4-Benzenediamine; p-Phenyldiamine and 4-Phenylenediamine.
12. HydroquinoneFound in skin lighteners and facial moisturizers, hydroquinone is neurotoxic and allergenic, and there's limited evidence that it may cause cancer in lab animals. It may also appear as an impurity not listed on ingredients labels.

Organic Cosmetics Governing Bodies
To be called 'organic' a product has to be certified as having met the criteria set by the organic-certifying body of the country it is produced in. Unfortunately, there is currently no international standard and so each country independently decides its own criteria for defining 'organic'.
However, one European certification organisation, ECOCERT, is now recognised in 70 countries. Here in the UK organic certification is given by the Soil Association, which has the most comprehensive organic standards worldwide for health and beauty products.
The Soil Association launched its standards for health and beauty products in 2002 and now certifies a wide range of companies and products to the standards. The standards were launched in response to companies that were making organic beauty products that wanted independent verification that was geared towards these types of products, and also in response to consumers who wanted to know which products truly were organic.
Representatives of UK, Europe & USECOCERT - France
OASIS – USA
SOIL Association – UK
Cosmetic organic standard- Europe
At last: decision on European natural cosmetics standard
It took several years of negotiations to reconcile all the interests of the important labellers of natural cosmetics in Europe but, since 3 November 2008, the new European guidelines for certified natural cosmetics have been on the internet, and they will come into force in January 2009. The new standard will make it possible to compare products, and the conditions for international trade will be improved. Passing the guidelines has brought to an end an intensive round of many discussions by the certification organisations Ecocert (France), the Soil Association (Great Britain), AIAB/ICEA (Italy), Ekogarantie (Belgium) and BDIH (Germany).
www.sovacollection.com

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