is it really organic?

Consumers have a lot of options. No. Consumers have a gazillion options. Even in the world of organics, there a a multitude of products claiming to be the next best thing. But what a company claims as “organic” may not be a safe or healthy product at all.

You’ve probably heard the term “greenwashing” – a term that is used to describe a company’s attempt to take advantage of the green trends without really demonstrating green practices. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, if you will…

What does “organic” mean? An organic ingredient is grown and produced without the use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers and sewer sludge. This has a lower impact on the environment and is clearly healthier for our bodies.

We try to make the best choices for ourselves and for our families, but we no longer know who to trust. Just because a product claims that it is “organic” doesn’t mean that it is safe. For example, plenty of cosmetic companies have tried to keep up with the movement toward organics and natural products by adding some organic filler ingredients and calling the product organic; while, at the same time, continuing to use the same toxic, cheap synthetics and chemicals. Read the ingredients of every product before you put it on your body or your child’s body!

There really are laws regarding the organic claims a company can make. For an (in-plain-English) explanation of these regulations, check out this post by Fig + Sage: Soapbox:: USDA Organic Certification Standards for Personal Care Products in Plain English.

Recently, congress introduced the (somewhat controversial) Safe Chemicals Act 2010, which was designed to regulate the cosmetic industry and rid our products from toxins. “When there’s cancer-causing chemicals in baby shampoo, hormone disruptors in fragrance and lead in lipstick, you know the regulatory system is broken. That’s what you get when you have an entire industry that’s practically self-regulated.” CSC.

A consumer can no longer walk into a grocery store, Target or Babies R US and purchase any baby care product on the shelf. Unfortunately, there is a lot of crap out there. If you wouldn’t fill your child up with junk food – full of artificial additives, sweeteners and preservatives, pesticides and nitrates – then why would you put them on your child’s delicate and permeable skin?

Zoe Organics is proud to have one of the few baby skin care lines that is free of any of these toxins. All of our products are 100% natural and 4 of our 5 products in this line are 100% organic and score a perfect “zero” in the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database, (www.skindeep.org), a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group.

We are working on our USDA organic certification! This process is tedious and lengthy, but totally worth the peace of mind it will bring our customers. In the meantime, check out our ingredients list. It speaks for itself.

If you are interested in learning more about organics, consider hosting a Zoe Organics (eco-chic) home party and we will provide samples and games that teach you more about the benefits of using organic skin care.

Also, check out these great organizations for news, tips and valuable information:

http://healthychild.org/

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

http://www.ewg.org/