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Mislabeled "Organic" Personal Care Products?

Organic Consumers Association (“OCA”), along with some organic personal care companies, has filed a complaint with the USDA’s National Organic Program (“NOP”) asking for an investigation into what it calls “widespread and blatantly deceptive labeling practices” of leading personal care brands that claim to be “organic.”

The OCA says it filed the complaint on behalf of 50 million consumers organic personal care products, alleging that some well-known brands—such as YSL Beaute, Kiss My Face Corporation, Giovanni Cosmetics Inc., Eminence Organic Skin Care, Inc., Physicians’ Formula Holdings, Inc. (makers of Organic Wear) and the Hain Celestial Group—use the word “organic” in marketing their products but do not have the right to do so.  OCA alleged that the companies named in the complaint do not meet USDA’s national organic program standards and called on the USDA to crack down on companies that misuse the “organic” label.

“Unfortunately, the hands off regulatory approach by the USDA’s National Organic Program” has “failed to protect consumers from deceptive labeling in the personal care marketplace,” said OCA Executive Director Ronnie Cummins in a prepared statement.

OCA asserts that consumers who pay more for organic products expect that the ingredients of products labeled “organic” be made from certified organic material produced on organic farms and not contain petrochemicals or pesticides from conventional farming.

How To Read Cosmetic Labels:

With all the confusion about beauty product claims and what to look for in ingredient lists, we decided to do some sleuthing ourselves.

We decided to go straight to the source and got some answers from Dr. Saul Alkaitis himself, a nationally recognized organic skin care manufacturer and organic skin care expert.  Here are some of his tips:

Don't Believe the Hype: Ditch the glossy advertising literature and tune out the slick television and radio commercials.  Often times these materials mislead and give false expectations.

Read Ingredient Labels: Pay close attention to ingredient labels.  If an ingredient is not listed, then it is not in the product.  For instance, a number of beauty products claim to be "organic" and even use it as part of the product name despite the fact that the product does not contain any organic ingredients.

First Three Listings: The first three to four ingredients in a product are likely the most important.  As a general rule, they are ingredients with the highest concentrations.  Everything else on the ingredient label may be less than 1% of the product and would only be in trace amounts.

Avoid Mystery Ingredients: As a rule of thumb, steer clear from products with ingredients that contain words you don't recognize or cannot pronounce. 

Deciding on a quality beauty care product is fairly simple.  Dr. Alkaitis' rule is if you don't understand what's on a product label, you should put it down and look for something else.  "If the words have no meaning, walk away from it.  It's a very simple rule.  You'll actually be helping yourself," he said.

Sunscreen Tips: Are Claims Truthful?

Wonder how to navigate the ever confusing claims regarding sunscreen products? Want to know how to sort out the more green alternatives from the more chemically-laden products?

It’s often difficult to navigate through the marketing and advertising jargon on sunscreen products.

Be wary of claims stating a sunscreen is “waterproof” or “sweat-proof.”  There is no waterproof sunscreen per say—only those that are “water resistant” or “very water-resistant.”  The FDA is looking into regulating these claims and lawmakers are urging changes.

High SPFs – they don’t necessary mean much better protection.  We are now seeing products with triple-digit SPFs. Dermatologists warn that after a certain SPF (, the benefits are minimal. (For instance, an SPF 50 only provides 1.3% more protection than SPF 30.)

“Sunblock” claims—No sunscreen provides 100% protection from the sun’s rays.  The FDA has proposed rules to get rid of this in sunscreen labels.

“All Natural” Claims – There is currently no sunscreen on the market that is “chemical-free.” Although zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are derived from naturally occurring minerals, they are made through a chemical process.

Your bottled water may not be any safer than tap water, and in fact, may even be subject to less stringent regulations, according to reports from congressional investigators and a leading consumer group.

During testimony before a congressional subcommittee last week, researchers recommended stricter labeling laws for bottled water, a $16 billion a year industry.  The report by the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) found that consumers believe that bottled water is healthier and safer than tap water.  This may not be true, according to the report.

Consumer advocates called for transparency regarding where bottled water comes from, how it is treated and what, if any, contaminants are found in it.  They recommended that this information be available on product labels or the company’s website.

“Many people assume bottled water is healthier and safer to drink than ordinary tap water. But some companies have lured consumers away from the tap with claims of health and purity that aren’t backed by public data,” said Jane Houlihan of the D.C.-based Environmental Working Group, a consumer research and advocacy group, in a statement.   “The ugly truth is that under lax federal law, consumers know very little about the quality of bottled water on which they spend billions every year.”  Read EWG’s full report.

The Alliance surveyed leading nail manufacturers on whether they use toxic chemicals in their products.  The report focused on three chemicals dubbed the "toxic trio" - specifically toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate ("DBP") - which have been linked to cancer, asthma and reproductive problems in peer-reviewed studies.  Toluene is a chemical that helps create a smooth finish, but it can cause irritation in the eyes, throat and lungs.  Formaldehyde is a nail hardening agent that can evaporate in the air.  Dibutyl phthalate is a "plasticizing chemical" that provides flexibility and sheen but can also affect thyroid function, and the research shows, in pregnant women, can be linked to reproductive problems in baby boys and decreased sperm count in adult men, according to the report.

The report, which surveyed 23 leading nail polish manufacturers, offered some good news.  It showed that 74 percent of the manufacturers surveyed do not include the "toxic trio" in their products.

Founded in 2007, the Alliance is comprised of a national network of 35 organizations, including scientific researchers, advocates and government agencies.  To read the entire report, visit http://www.womenandenvironment.org/.