How to Shop for True Organic Beauty Products

Whether you are shopping for your own beauty needs, or your beloved ones, you should always remember that what you put on your skin is absorbed into your body.

Many of you are concerned with treating your skin well, carefully adopting and sticking to skincare routines that promise to keep you looking young and healthy even after smile lines begin to appear, and your skin shows signs of all the wonderful days in the sun.

Unfortunately, chemically-laden beauty products are often sneaky, and it can be hard to tell if you’re buying something that will help or harm your skin in the long term.

Why Choose Organic Beauty?

Greenwashing is affecting those of us who are trying to do right by our skin. You read “natural” and “made with organic” on product packaging and you think you’re buying something good for you. But a lot of those products are made with the same nasty ingredients that sink into your skin and can cause irritation and other serious health complications.

When you shop for true organic beauty, you only get ingredients that are going to benefit your skin.

Not only it is better for you, but also better for the environment. When you use organic, you’re protecting marine life; products such as sunscreen are often formulated with chemicals that weaken all sea-dwelling organisms, from algae to mammals. Choosing products without these chemicals will protect one of the most valuable ecosystems on the planet.

In addition, when you choose organic, farmers and formulators aren’t required to handle ingredients that were grown with toxic herbicides and fertilizers.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the information out there, so we made it easy to get started.  Below are some tips on how to shop for organic beauty products without falling victim to greenwashing.

Labels Matter When Shopping for Organic Beauty

Unfortunately, you can’t rely on brand marketing to make sure a product is organic. It’s all too easy for brands to add the word organic on their boxes without any verification that their ingredients are truly organic. That’s why it’s so important for products to have an organic certification.

The terms “made with organic” or “natural” don’t cut it either. A product that is “made with organic aloe vera” can still contain harmful ingredients. A “natural” product is not backed by a government-regulated program and is often used to mislead people into buying products that they think will be good for them. 

When a beauty product is certified organic, it doesn’t contain any herbicides or other nasty chemicals that harm you or the planet.  This means no GMOs, harmful preservatives, or synthetic fertilizers or herbicides. 

Look for a Seal of Approval

When you’re shopping for organic beauty products, look for a certification seal on the package. USDA, COSMOS, and Soil Association are all credible sources and set the bar high. When you see a product with one of these labels, it’s a guarantee that what’s inside is fully organic. Products go through an extensive verification process to get one of these seals.

Products that contain a USDA seal have to abide by stricter regulations because the USDA certification is based on a food-level organic standard rather than a personal care standard. This means if you buy a USDA-certified product, you can be confident that the product is free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives and is made with all organic ingredients rather than genetically modified ones. Check out the USDA certification process to find out more.

Read the Ingredients

Be a nosy consumer. Read the ingredients to make sure you’re comfortable with everything that’s in your beauty product. The ingredients with the highest amount in the formula are always listed first. If you don’t recognize those first few ingredients, you might want to skip buying it.

Scientific names aren’t always a no-no. The FDA’s Fair Packaging and Labeling Act allow the use of scientific names of ingredients if the scientific name is in parentheses after the common name. An example: sweet almond (prunus amygdalus dulcis) oil.

If you see only scientific names, make sure your product also has the common names somewhere for you to find. If you’re not sure what an ingredient is, you can always look it up.

Beware of Fragrances

The ingredient “fragrance” is a major red flag. The term “fragrance” is unregulated and sneaky. Lots of chemicals can be lurking behind the label of fragrances. Some are known skin irritants and hormone disruptors.

Brands, that are truly organic, list the ingredient that gives the product its scent. The scent in organic products is usually made from essential oils, plant essences, and resins.

Find a Community of People who Buy Organic

One of the best ways to ensure you get truly organic beauty products is by connecting with people who’ve been following an organic lifestyle longer than you. They’ve been through it all and have the best tips and advice for finding the right products and brands. Don’t be afraid to ask for their opinions.

As you learn new things and when you try something that works for you, go ahead and share it. Engaging on social media or commenting on blogs is a great way to build a community and engage in a new movement for organic beauty.

Don’t let all the greenwashing that’s out there fool you. Look for certified organic products with a USDA, COSMOS, or Soil Association seal. If you come across a product that hasn’t been certified yet, that’s okay. Just be sure to read through the list of ingredients—the ingredients never lie. Lookup any that you don’t recognize and make sure they are all organic. Finally, if “fragrance” is listed in the ingredients, it’s best to put the beauty product back.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to your community. There are so many people who are learning how to shop for organic beauty products. And there are those who have been doing this a while and are happy to help you on your journey to optimal health.

Author Byline: 

Louisa Quinn is the Regulations Manager at Organic Fiji. She handles all the certification applications, ethics, and regulations of products/practices, and ingredient sourcing for their coconut oil products. Louisa enjoys empowering women and men to protect the environment, animals, and people by educating them on practical and ethical ways to shop for personal care items.