For chemists like the Beauty Brains, the meaning of ‘organic’ is clear. It is any chemical compound that contains Carbon. In fact, to get a college chemistry degree you take a year of Organic Chemistry where you memorize endless chemical reactions between hydrocarbons, oxygen, nitrogen and more. Many a chemist wannabe switched to marketing degrees after flunking organic chemistry.
What does organic mean for cosmetics?
But ‘organic’ doesn’t quite mean the same thing in the cosmetic industry. To consumers it can mean ‘natural’, ‘green’, ‘chemical free’, or ‘found at Whole Foods’. But according to this article, the US organics market is completely confused. Primarily because there is no industry-agreed meaning for terms like ‘organic’ or ‘natural’. Unlike the farming industry, these terms are not regulated for cosmetics. Companies can pretty much claim anything is natural or organic.
For example, imagine a body wash formula. It contains all kinds of synthetic surfactants, fragrances, preservatives and colors. But it also contains 85-90% water. A company might simply claim “90% organic or natural” and be telling the truth. Certainly, this isn’t in the spirit of what people believe organic to mean, but it is within the law.
Our good friends at Burt’s Bees are outraged by the tricks some companies are playing on the public. They are campaigning to get tighter regulations on cosmetics that use terms such as ‘natural’ or ‘organic’. Stay tuned to see if they will make a difference.
Are organic products better?
Incidentally, natural or organic cosmetic products don’t really provide any added benefit for consumers. Most companies are just fooling you when they say their products are natural. What isn’t? And for companies like Burt’s Bees who strive to make ‘organic’ or ‘all-natural’ products, their finished products are mostly functionally inferior to more mainstream products. This is the real trade-off of natural or organic products. That and an incredibly higher cost for an inferior product.
Remember cosmetics are not food. No one has ever proven there is a benefit to ‘organically’ derived cosmetics.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t get it. You call Burt’s Bees “good friends” and then call their products inferior. Ouch, a little blunt.
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Sandra, on some level we were just kidding. We can call Burt’s Bees “good friends” because we actually know some of the chemists that make the products. And from a functional standpoint we’ve tested many different Burt’s Bees products and have found that they don’t work as well. We’ve also found on a blinded basis people don’t like them as much. But we respect Burt’s Bees as one of the few “natural” companies that aren’t afraid to embrace the “natural” concept even though it generally results in an inferior performing product.
Left Brain
To be fair, they did say that the products were *functionally* inferior. Things like asthetic qualities, product-feel, scent, etc… these things may be similar or actually superior to mainstream products, but they’re subjective and impossible to quantify in the same way.
For example, I find Burt’s Bees lipbalms to be not as moisturizing as I’d like, and kind or hard to dig out and apply. But, the scent and minty tingle are nicer than Chapstick. Ditto for their lemon butter cuticle cream — if I purchase it, it’s because it smells so refreshingly lemony, not because it’s the best moisturizer out there.
By the way Brains (and interested readers!), I’m running a comments for a cure thing at my blog, where for each comment posted until the end of the day, I’ll donate $1 to a cancer charity. Would love it if you popped by and left a comment! Thanks!
Organics may or may not be proven to work differently on your body (I’d really love to see a side by side on that.). If someone is sensitive, topically, to pesticide or fertilizer chemicals, is it possible that they could be sensitive to cosmetic end products whose ingredients have been treated with those chemicals? Does none of that end up in the final product? I’m curious now.
I think there might be a lot of people who choose organic because they want the products they buy to be a little more environmentally friendly, not just because they think their hair will be shinier. If they buy something that includes organic ingredients, I suppose there is less groundwater pollution, etc.
Is it just me or does anyone else notice 2 seemingly contradictory trends as they relate to the business of beauty in this country?
On the one hand you have an explosion of cosmetic products that are trying to identify themselves as organic or natural because of a seemingly unsatiable appetite for them.
On the other hand Americans are getting more plastic surgery procedures and injecting themselves with all sorts of weird definitely not natural stuff than ever before.
Do these 2 different constituencies/audiences intersect? Does someone who buys strictly organic/natural cosmetics also get silicone breast implants?
Or are the mindsets of these groups distinct?
Or are we all full of it and thus will do anything if we think it will make us look better?
Apc,
Contrary to popular believe organically grown products are not pesticide and fertilizer free. For example, one author points out in a 2001 Nature article…
“Approved pesticides for organic farmers include copper sulphate, which has caused liver damage in vineyard workers, kills worms and is persistent in soil and produce (to be banned by the European Commission after 2002) rotenone, recently shown to induce Parkinson’s disease Bacillus thuringiensis spores, causing fatal lung infections in mice.”
Now you can find things just as bad about synthetic pesticides and fertilizers but I don’t really see much difference. Either way, these things are not likely to make it into your cosmetics in any noticeable way. After cleaning and processing raw materials then formulating them into cosmetics, you would be hard-pressed to chemically find any trace of these chemicals. There just isn’t enough there to make any difference.
Sofia, I think people want to look good and feel good. I’ve seen people in consumer research claim that they want “organic” and “natural” products. But at the same time, they don’t want products that aren’t going to deliver the beauty benefits.
We’re a bit of a schizophrenic society. Just remember, nobody ever thinks they are doing anything wrong. Never. With that notion it’s simple to eat organic yogurt, do palates weekly, and continue to smoke your Virginia Slims.
LOL, I loved your last comment, BBs.
Hi, Just read your article and was interested in your mention of being good freinds with several of the Burt’s Bees Chemists. I searched your site to find out your names and asked everyone in the lab, but no one in here (in Durham) seems to know who you are, either. Would love to hear from you…
EW
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Ella, so sorry. I can see how you misunderstood what we were saying about being good friends with several Burt’s Bees chemists. We only know some of the chemists through meeting them at international conferences in our respective scientific societies. We aren’t actually ‘good friends’ with any of them. The cosmetic industry is relatively small and there is a finite number of chemists that make their rounds to various companies. It’s easy to meet and know lots of chemists. We call them ‘good friends’ because we feel a camaraderie with all our fellow chemists in the industry. You have fine scientists working there and they produce great products. We only suggest that the formulas are less desirable on a blinded basis not because your chemists aren’t talented (they certainly are) but because they are handcuffed by being limited to the types of chemicals they can use. Like I said, Burt’s Bees is one of the most respectable ‘natural’ companies around. They are a model that many others could and should follow. You have a lot to be proud of.
Left Brain
I agree the natural and organic market is often misleading, but what about companies that use ingredients that they know irritate skin, cause cancer, disrupt hormone levels, etc. and don’t provide any warning to the consumer? The organic products may look and feel different, but I wouldn’t say they are inferior- they aren’t full of chemicals that make that great foam that you like or bubble in your hair. Doesn’t mean your hair isn’t getting clean, but it could mean that you’ve avoided some meaningless body burden. My 2 cents
Sarah, this is a great point and a very difficult issue to easily answer. It’s a matter of degree. I mean what company doesn’t use ingredients that are known to irritate the skin? Your own ‘natural’ company (very nice website by the way) sells a Lemon Myrtle Shampoo (Normal to Oily Hair).
http://allorganicmatters.mionegroup.com/product/12102
One of the ingredients is ‘Citric Acid’. Have you taken a look at the MSDS of citric acid?
Take a look.
http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/C4730.htm
In the ‘hazards identification’ section it clearly states “WARNING! CAUSES SEVERE EYE IRRITATION. CAUSES IRRITATION TO SKIN AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. ”
In the ‘potential health effects’ section “Inhalation:
Causes irritation to the respiratory tract. Symptoms may include coughing, shortness of breath.
Ingestion:
Causes irritation to the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Extremely large oral dosages may produce gastrointestinal disturbances. Calcium deficiency in blood may result in severe cases of ingestion.
Skin Contact:
Causes irritation to skin. Symptoms include redness, itching, and pain.
Eye Contact:
Highly irritating; may also be abrasive.
Chronic Exposure:
Chronic or heavy acute ingestion may cause tooth enamel erosion. ”
Natural or not, you’re putting chemicals on your body. All companies use ingredients that they know are irritants. It is possible to use them at safe levels.
And no one uses materials that are definitively determined to be carcinogens or hormone distributors. There are controversial ingredients no doubt but these materials were at first shown to be perfectly safe. Later research has clouded the issue on some chemicals but until there is more proof it makes sense to accept the previously generated data.
How will you feel when people start testing an ingredient that you like, say Coco polyglucoside, and find that it is irritating to skin and want to ban it? It is a surfactant and at high enough levels it is detrimental to skin. It may also have worse effects it just hasn’t been tested.
This is a slippery slope you propose. Chemicals, even ones that cause irritation, can be used safely at reasonable levels.
Thanks for your 2 cents. Keep it coming. Comments like these make us better chemists and bloggers.
I have to agree with some of the above comments:
1) When I do bother to buy “natural” cosmetics it is because I’ve researched the company and am confidant that their product is having less of a negative effect on the environment.
2) When I buy any product, I read the label to see whether I can recognize the ingredients and how they work. It feels reckless to me to use a product without knowing how it’s made, how it will degrade, and what it’s going to do in the meantime. I suppose I can look up things like “cyclopentasiloxane” to find out how they’re made. I might be able to find info on how long it takes to biodegrade, although I have less hope about that. I don’t think anyone knows yet what the heck it’s going to do the other chemicals it encounters on its trip through the water system, whether it persists in the environment, what it does to me if it should manage to find its way through my skin. I would feel irresponsible spending my money on a product I was that ignorant about just because it made my hair shiny and slick.
3) There’s a difference between something being deemed safe because it was found to have no acute side effects, and something being proven to have no side effects connected to long term, low dose exposure. What cosmetics company can afford to do the second kind of testing? It is true that just about anything can be harmful in quantity (hell, you can kill yourself drinking too much water), but I don’t believe that the “safety” testing done on most of these newer compounds is anything like as thorough as I want it to be.
That said, I just discovered your site, and I’m very excited. I’m hoping to learn so much. Maybe there are more chemicals that I could be comfortable using…. I really appreciate what you’re doing. Wish other chemists were doing similarly informative things about otc medicines, household cleaners, etc. Actually, maybe they are- must go google now…
Hey,
Good job bringing up the topic about green/natural products.
To help cut through the greenwash, you might want to check out this green reviews site:
http://www.sustainlane.com
I like using burt’s bees shampoo, but would like to test using lemons and other oils directly instead of through companies. Self sufficiency is a good thing!
Cheers,
Ken
If you feel ok putting a product on your child’s body that MAY have an ingredient that MAY cause cancer well good for you. But try explaining that to them when they are older. I don’t take chances with myself or others. I can’t hold that kind of responsibility when I don’t have conclusive evidence that say yes or no to the question… does that ingredient cause cancer? We’re not certain just doesn’t cut it for me. I trust my ingredients and I need my clientel to trust them to.
I have to agree with Nerina , one has to wonder why everybody and the grandmother is getting cancer these days , people just do not understand that the skin is the largest organ of the body and not just a protective shield , apparently beauty brains does not understand hahaha that synthetics used in small doses like shampoo, cosemetics,etc becomes large doses over time of everyday use until cells eventually say ok we have had enough now we are going to mutate and perpetuate , and do not try and tell me that there isn’t proof that FDA hasn’t banned several sythetics in any arena, and have been labeled cancer causeing or labeled with other side effects , and for you to boast about organic chemist or being a chemist gimme a break , let me ask you this can you tell me why drugs on the body have the certain effects that they do , exactly you can’t and neither can anethesiologist , so don’t try and speak your brains with out having one , I can tell you rhat synthetic shampoos cosmetics,ets do have more side effects than organic and or natural, I am very kinethetically aware of what goes on in my body and am in top physical condition to the extreme , I would like you beautybrains to post a picture of yourself and I will post mine so we won’t have to listen to someone preaching about health period when they don’t live the life , organic and natural all the way and I dont take supplements either
You say organic products are functionally-inferior. This may be true in many cases. But that is usually the last reason people buy organic products. So long as the organic product functions adequately, the main reason people buy organic is because of the stuff they DON’T want going on or into their bodies. They also buy organically-derived products because they are concerned with the sustainable production of goods, the humane treatment of animals, and fair-trade practices. As long as the companies selling these products are being truthful in their dedication to sustainable, eco-friendly production (e.g. Burt’s Bees, Tom’s of Maine, J.A.S.O.N.), I don’t see the case for the latter part of your complaint.
Hmmm… I mainly prefer selective “natural” or “organic” products because I’ve super-fine pores and ultra-sensitive skin on certain parts of my body and that means: little to no silicon, no mineral oil, lower concentration of waxes(beeswax, jojoba oil), less alcohol(drying for me), less foaming agents, only a certain percentage of acid content and a huge list of other ingredients and formulation requirements. I’ve used Eucerin, Cetaphil, Neutrogena, Clinique, Ego QV, Nivea, Simple, Pantene, Vidal Sassoon, L’oreal, Keratese, Phyto and a plethora of endless skincare/haircare brands(including those suggested by a Professor who my mother sees for her health problems): cost me a few thousand dollars in total and no, they didn’t work and were a waste of my money. I even saw a couple of dermatologists and whatever they prescribed me… well, made things much worse.
Since I made the switch to partially organic products, my skin has never been better. I no longer have red and raw skin that bleeds at times, I’ve less pimples, braving hot and humid weather in Singapore doesn’t irritate my skin as much, no more itchy skin, taking a shower means no more burning sensations, less falling hair and so on. Of course, I recently went back to science too and now also use brands or products like Hada Labo, Muji Cleansing Oil(sensitive skin). I kind of got over my fear that only natural products work. However, I stay far away from most American skincare brands and am somewhat cautious with European brands too. And I now look for skincare products that’re light on the skin and which aren’t too complex. I also sometimes look for water-based products. And also, the company must be renown for quality standards and if they don’t do animal testing, then they must have tested the products on as many as hundreds to thousands of volunteers.
I also avoid handmade items unless they’re just soaps because that means there’s little R&D, little to no testing and most likely horrible quality standards. And I no longer look at the product claims but how it performs though I admit still to falling for them once in a while.
Btw, I’ve also found out the hard way that there are a lot of organic companies that just refuse to use science, in order to optimise their products. And who keep on blabbering endlessly about how all chemicals are harmful which is an irony since everything is made up of chemicals anyways.
And then there’re those whose formulas are full of too many botanical extracts but without few ingredients to deliver, bind and so on.(Sorry, my chemistry sucks.) I seriously don’t understand what’s with their brains: do they not bother checking with any experienced and knowledgeable herbalists(Indian, Western, Chinese or whatever) IF they insist on using herbal/botanical extracts, besides double-checking with some scientists? It amazes or even horrifies me to no end, how many people think they can become a herbalist or scientist just by reading some pages from some site or book. Yikes! Or how they can just grab some ingredient and throw it in, just because they read it from somewhere that it’s good. I mean… what if it’s something like belladonna?
And if a certain chemical is safe for your skin, what’s wrong with using it to help enhance delivery of the ingredients? I don’t get it anyways.
And don’t get me started on EWG. Okay, their list of sunscreens is somewhat useful but those people are just too paranoid! Too fanatical as well: it’s the product formulation, the percentage and type of an ingredient used which determine the safety of a ingredient, not some supposed dosage that’s 10,000 times of what any human would be exposed to. Ah yes, it’s a reminder that not all studies are created equal. And who in their right mind would drink formaldehyde or even inject stuff into their… I dunno, eyes or intestines?! “Can I pass you a saw, Madam?” “Why?” “Well, to puncture your stomach for better absorption of , of course!”
And as someone put it across, maybe there’re even some profit motives involved for EWG.
Ah, I forgot to mention that since the climate and weather in Singapore is extremely chaotic at times(hot during the day, cold at night, hot rain, close to 100% humidity, high UV index, etc.), so that causes a lot of skincare and haircare products to perform miserably. And then, you’ve Asian skin to consider. In fact, quite a few companies reformulate their products according to the different climates and skin/hair types in Asia.
Yes, this is why a lot of Asian skincare revolves around moisture, moisture and moisture. Lotions(something like toner but you don’t wash it off) to somewhat moisturise the skin, essence/serum to put moisture back into the skin and so on. Heck, even my cleansing regime is gentle enough to not leave my skin squeaky clean.
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