The market for organic foods and products is huge. And highly lucrative, as anyone who has ever bought organic makeup or organic food can tell you. It is no wonder then that there are ever-increasing cases where companies will put the word ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ on their packaging just so they can hike up the costs or attract more customers, even if they have not made the slightest change in the composition of their product. This sort of fraudulent advertising is not just unethical and unfair it is also harmful to consumers in the long run as the chemicals in the products will play havoc on their bodies.
This is the main reason that some kind of certification was needed to identify those products that were actually organic. Thus, USDA organic cosmetic certification was born.
Why bother with USDA Organic Cosmetics Certification?
All over the world, more and more people are waking up to the fact that food that is grown with pesticides and hormones, genetically-modified seeds is not exactly the best eating option, and it’s kind of inhumane too. Let’s not forget that plants are living beings too.
So in order to curb the rampant abuse of the word ‘organic’, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) decided to take things into its own hands. It came up with a stringent set of rules and meticulous testing criteria to ensure that a product was really organic. The USDA certification is one of the strictest in the world. Certification is only awarded if the product passes the rigorous testing, and regular audits are carried out frequently to ensure that the company is maintaining its standards.
When a product is certified by the USDA, you can be reassured that it is in fact doing its best to be as organic as possible. If you are a newbie when it comes to using organic products and you are unsure of how to go about doing your own research, then I would recommend that you buy USDA organic certified cosmetics.
But keep in mind that just because a product is USDA certified does not make it safe for use. You may still be allergic to certain ingredients in the product. And just because a product does not have the certification does not mean that it is not truly organic; they may just not have gotten around to applying for certification. I say this from experience as I know of many small, local companies working out of their homes whose products I use and have come to love. I know that they are organic because I have personally met and talked to these people, I am aware of their long-standing commitment and dedication to an organic lifestyle, and have seen their production process.
My advice is to maintain the same level of discretion with USDA organic cosmetics as you would with any others; do your research, make some calls, and your hard work should lead you to products that are truly organic regardless of their certification.
