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Nvey Eco Clears Up Schmorganic Confusion

Lately, I’ve seen a number of articles come through my RSS feed questioning the benefits of organic beauty products. Unfortunately, most of what I read is riddled with misinformation and blatent biases. Organic Schmorganic appears to be the conclusion drawn by these investigative reporters when they discover the issue isn’t an entirely black and white one. One of the more recent posts, which will remain nameless but can probably be uncovered with some clever Googling, revealed its bias with the following: “Although usually more expensive, organic foods can be better for you, so the same should be true for organic makeup right? Turns out, not so much.”

She goes on to conclude that because there are no USDA certified organic makeup lines, the whole thing is basically a hoax, going so far as to wag a finger at Stella McCartney. Although other articles I’ve read lately haven’t been quite as harsh in their judgment, most seem bent on debunking the notion that going chemical-free has any real advantages, even stories published on mainstream sites.

While I could go on at length as to the flaws in the logic behind these stories, I will instead devote this space to Nvey Eco’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Sarah Cherot. Nvey was one of the brands accused of participating in the deception. I asked her for her reaction to the story, and thought I would share her informative response with all of you:

“The main thing is that no, we do not have a USDA organic label, nor do we claim to have this – we do however have the Australian Government and also the Organic Food Chain organic certifications. Since we are an Australian brand, sourced and produced solely in Australia we would not be able to have a USDA certification if it were available. Certification comes from the country of origin mainly; however, ECOCert does actually certify brands outside of the European Union if the products are sold within the EU.
 
This can definitely be confusing for consumers and bloggers and retailers alike – currently there are a few organizations that have been formed by natural and organic companies to induce an actual certification process for both natural and organic products; however, there is NOTHING in the US or Canada or any part of North America that actually certifies color cosmeticsas being organic. The USDA/FDA does have a better handle on their certification for natural and organic skincare and body care items; however, they have no process and nothing in the works (as far as anyone can tell) about certifying color cosmetics – one of the main points within that is that there are actually NO certified organic processors / producers / co-packers / etc. for organic color cosmetics within the US – that’s why there are NO US brands being certified organic in the color sector. However, there are brands that do claim to use organic ingredients; however, note that their processes are not organic and can include micronization and nano-technology.”

Finally, I think it’s particularly important to note that cosmetics are not fruit – you have more choices than organic and commercial. With cosmetics, there are synthetic ingredients, natural ingredients, and organic ingredients. You might think of it as having a choice between organically grown grapes, conventionally grown grapes, and plastic grapes. Also, because most natural color cosmetics use minerals, they will never be certified organic – minerals, by their very nature, cannot be organic. Cosmetics certified by the BDIH and Organic Food Chain, however, have strict criteria with the aim of certifying only the safest and most natural of beauty products. Nvey, Alima Pure, Logona, Sante, and Living Nature, among others, are certified natural color lines made by companies committed to using only the safest ingredients in their products.

To learn more, read the latest issue of Organic Beauty magazine, or books like The Green Beauty Guide, Not Just a Pretty Face, Exposed and, if you can find it, the U.K.’s Green Beauty Bible.  

Written by Terri Bly

Terri Bly is the founder of The Nature of Beauty, LTD, an all-eco website, shop, and spa. She is a freelance writer, currently residing in Minneapolis.

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