Is it really 'organic'?
A know-your-stuff guide to organic beauty productsBy Christine FellinghamSpecial to The Courier-Journal
Like "natural" and "herbal" and any other "good-for-you" buzzwords, the word "organic" can be misused, misunderstood and just plain misappropriated on product labels.
So I've talked to a few local experts, pulled from my own beauty-editor background and grilled Jo Wood, creator of her own ultra-elegant organic skin-care line and a fervent organic shopper, to come up with some tricks to spotting organic products. These pointers should help you make smarter choices on your next beauty shopping trip.
'Organic' on the label just isn't enough
"There are all different levels of organics," says Wood. "Some products are 100 percent, others contain only a tiny percentage of organic materials."
Fortunately, unlike the words "natural" or "herbal," the word "organic" is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It refers to an ingredient grown without use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
Here are the precise meanings of terms you'll see printed on labels:
• 100% organic: This is the gold standard for organic products and it means precisely what it says. Other than salt and water, every single ingredient in the product must be certified organic.
• Made with organics: Products labeled with this wording must contain 70 percent or more of certified organic materials. (And, yes, they can contain chemicals and preservatives.)Contains organics: These products contain less than 70 percent organic material.
• Contains organics: These products contain less than 70 percent organic material.
• Organic: A label with this nonspecific wording could contain less than 1 percent organic materials or more.
For the whole truth, read the ingredient list
"I'm a nut about reading ingredients," says Wood. "Sometimes a product that's labeled natural or organic contains a third of these crazy ingredients."
So if all-organic or preservative-free is important to you, do your homework: Flip that bottle around and look at the ingredient list.
Remember, ingredients are listed in order of most to least -- so you want to see your organics up top and anything else at the bottom.
And some companies (like Kiss My Face) go so far as to list the percentages of each ingredient.
Be sure to check the expiration date
Because they contain few (or no) chemicals or preservatives, organic products often come labeled with an expiration date. That's because they tend to have a shorter shelf life -- especially once their seals are broken and the products are exposed to air.
Keep this in mind and don't open your organic goodies until you're ready to use them fairly regularly.
It's also smart to keep your organic beauty care away from extreme temperatures, which can cause them to break down and lose efficacy and, possibly, become irritating to your skin.
Organic isn't always best for sensitive skin
Though some synthetic ingredients (like alpha hydroxy acids and parabens) can be extremely irritating to certain skin types, the same is true of their potent organic counterparts. One reason? Each herb is actually made up of numerous chemical components … and you could be allergic to any one of them.
You also should know that the first culprit most dermatologists suspect when you have an adverse reaction to a product is the fragrance, whether synthetic or natural.
That said, most organic companies go to great lengths to choose the gentlest, least irritating ingredients and to maintain the purity and consistency of their products. But, you can't assume that everything organic is automatically less irritating. You may have to shop in less obvious places.
Your local CVS or Macy's, for example, won't stock a huge selection of organic body products, but your local organic market might.
Locally, you can find a good selection of facial, hair and body care at Whole Foods Market and Rainbow Blossom Natural Foods.
"We have a lot of customers who come in just for the organic body washes or baby products," says Sara Beasley, manager of Rainbow Blossom at Springhurst.
But it's fair to say that shopping organic still takes a little extra effort and creativity. Even Wood has to get creative when it comes to finding a full supply of organic beauty care.
"It's getting easier (to find the stuff), but I really can't find a great organic makeup line," she says. "I still use MAC eyeliner, but I do use some Dr. Haushka powders and I love their moisturizers (available at Rainbow Blossom in Middletown)."
(Wood's Web site is www.jowoodorganics.com -- think of it as skin care with a lot of skin.)
Other organic lines with cult followings include Ecco Bella (a flower-based cosmetic and skin-care line available at Rainbow Blossom), Jurlique, Kiss My Face (at Rainbow Blossom and Whole Foods) and Burt's Bees (semi-organic and available at Whole Foods, Rainbow Blossom and CVS).
Some of these lines occasionally use synthetics or preservatives to maintain stability or safety or simply to deliver a specific aroma or color -- and only you can decide if that's OK.
Finally, if your search for organic makeup is disappointing, you can do what many organic types do and buy mineral makeup (available at Pure Image on Baxter Avenue, Headz Salon on La Grange Road, as well as most health-food stores).
Though they're made of minerals (and, therefore, aren't organic per se), they are preservative- and chemical-free and completely natural. They're also extremely lightweight, blendable and natural-looking.
Don't be misled by scent "I personally love all-natural aromas, but they can take getting used to," says Wood.
The truth is that we're so accustomed to the enhanced, engineered and souped-up synthetic versions of scents like lavender, rose or green tea that the real or "organic" thing may seem unappealing.
But try not to pass up a lavender bath oil, for example, just because it doesn't smell as sweet as the stuff you may be used to. Most likely, once you become accustomed to the heady fragrance of a natural ingredient, you won't want to go back.
Christine Fellingham, a Louisville resident, is a contributing writer for Glamour, Health and Shop Etc. magazines, and O: The Oprah Winfrey Magazine.
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