How To Buy Guide - Shopgreen Guide

With the growing trend of organic personal care & beauty products, aisles are lined with products claiming to be “Organic.” Be sure to look for the USDA seal or check the ingredients of the “Organic” products you are considering to verify that they're really organic.

Here's some info on what certain phrases really mean:

Organic

The same definition we apply to organic foods also applies to beauty products. "Organic" describes the way agricultural crops must be grown, handled, and processed to qualify for USDA certification. Organic farming and handling prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, genetic engineering, and irradiation.

Certified Organic

“Certified Organic” means the ingredients are inspected by the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). Cosmetics that have the “Certified Organic” seal are “100% Organic” and contain only certified organic ingredients, or contain at least 95% certified organic ingredients. If at least 70% of the formula has certified organic ingredients, then the label can state “made with organic ingredients," but the seal cannot be used.

Natural

“Natural” usually refers to cosmetic products made with mineral-based, plant-based, or algae-based ingredients that haven't been altered by or processed with synthetic chemicals. Most natural cosmetics do rely on some synthetics to create lather or preserve the formula, however, so keep that in mind.