Green Tea Skin Care - When is Organic Unnatural?
Julian Tai
October 23, 2009
In recent years, environmental awareness has spilled over into the skin care aisle. People have become increasingly concerned about all of the different hard-to-pronounce chemicals humans introduce into the environment and ultimately, into our own bodies. These chemicals come from everywhere, including from personal care products and cosmetics. For example, according to the Environmental Working Group, almost 50% of cosmetics and personal care products on the market have at least one chemical in them that has been linked to reproductive issues or cancer (www.ewg.org/node/26494). Scary, huh? In the United States, cosmetics companies do not have to prove that their products are safe for long-term use. Therefore, they can and often do use cheap synthetic chemicals that may cause long-term harm. Under federal regulations, cosmetics are not allowed to be harmful. However, since the companies that make the products don't have to study the long-term effects of exposure to the chemicals they use, there's no way to catch the potential harmful effects of years of exposure until people actually start experiencing them.
Cosmetic companies claim to have an answer to these concerns: countless products decked out in packaging that touts the incredible virtues of the "natural, organic, healthy plant extracts" inside. Most green tea skin care products are promoted in this manner-as a natural alternative to chemical-laden face creams. This type of advertising makes us feel safe and even virtuous as we bring our purchases to the checkout counter. Surely a product labeled natural and organic is a safe bet, right?
Not so fast! Unfortunately, when it comes to cosmetics, those words actually mean very little. The FDA, which regulates cosmetics, does not require cosmetic manufacturers to do anything special in order to designate their products as "natural" and "organic." The USDA does regulate the use of the word "organic" for agricultural products, and it's possible for cosmetic manufacturers to get a seal of approval from them. Under USDA regulations, products that advertise themselves as 100% organic can be made from only organic ingredients. Products that advertise themselves as "organic" have to use 95% organic ingredients, and products that use the words "made from organic ingredients" on their packaging must be made from 70% organic ingredients. However, there is no rule that requires cosmetic companies to apply for a USDA organic stamp to use the word "organic" on the packaging. Basically, the words "natural" and "organic" mean whatever the company that makes the product wants it to mean, which could be anything from "Made from plant-derived ingredients with no petroleum products" to "synthetic chemicals with a plant-like fragrance."
So, how do you know if that green tea skin product that's calling to you from across the cosmetics aisle really lives up to the promises on the label? The easiest way is to turn the product over and read the ingredients on the back. This will at least give you an idea of whether the product is "natural" or not! If you are not familiar with the chemical names you see (and you probably won´t be), you may have to do a little bit of research. To get you started, though, here are some chemicals to avoid like the plague: parabens, which according to the Environmental Working Group have been linked to hormone disruptions that could lead to tumors, phthalates, and anything made using ethyloxylation, which produces a carcinogenic chemical as a byproduct (www.ewg.org/node/26460).
If memorizing chemical names sounds too much like studying for a degree in chemistry to you, you can use an online database to check the safety of the products you purchase. The Environmental Working Group has a website called Skin Deep which can be used to look up different ingredients, products and brands. A similar website is run by the Personal Care Product Council, an organization that represents the cosmetics industry. As you have probably already guessed, the ingredients that are rated as "safe" vs. "dangerous" are different on each site. For example, the PCPC's website states that "based on the weight of current scientific evidence, there is no reason for consumers to be concerned about the use of cosmetic and personal care products containing Parabens." (http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/HBI/9). Skin Deep, on the other hand, says that parabens have been linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, hormone disruptions, and other health issues.
It's important to remember that synthetic ingredients are not by definition harmful. However, many of the ingredients commonly used in cosmetics today do pose health concerns that have not been adequately answered by the cosmetics industry. Also, if consumers want "natural" or "organic" products, that is what they should get when they pick up a product that has those words on the label. However, the unfortunate truth is that you can't trust marketing buzzwords to tell you what's really in the products you use. Doing your own research is essential to making sure that the skin care products you pay for are actually what you intended to buy.
What are the 7 important benefits about green tea and skin that you must know?
Learn how to buy green tea skin care products by avoiding being ripped off in my green tea guide.
Cosmetic companies claim to have an answer to these concerns: countless products decked out in packaging that touts the incredible virtues of the "natural, organic, healthy plant extracts" inside. Most green tea skin care products are promoted in this manner-as a natural alternative to chemical-laden face creams. This type of advertising makes us feel safe and even virtuous as we bring our purchases to the checkout counter. Surely a product labeled natural and organic is a safe bet, right?
Not so fast! Unfortunately, when it comes to cosmetics, those words actually mean very little. The FDA, which regulates cosmetics, does not require cosmetic manufacturers to do anything special in order to designate their products as "natural" and "organic." The USDA does regulate the use of the word "organic" for agricultural products, and it's possible for cosmetic manufacturers to get a seal of approval from them. Under USDA regulations, products that advertise themselves as 100% organic can be made from only organic ingredients. Products that advertise themselves as "organic" have to use 95% organic ingredients, and products that use the words "made from organic ingredients" on their packaging must be made from 70% organic ingredients. However, there is no rule that requires cosmetic companies to apply for a USDA organic stamp to use the word "organic" on the packaging. Basically, the words "natural" and "organic" mean whatever the company that makes the product wants it to mean, which could be anything from "Made from plant-derived ingredients with no petroleum products" to "synthetic chemicals with a plant-like fragrance."
So, how do you know if that green tea skin product that's calling to you from across the cosmetics aisle really lives up to the promises on the label? The easiest way is to turn the product over and read the ingredients on the back. This will at least give you an idea of whether the product is "natural" or not! If you are not familiar with the chemical names you see (and you probably won´t be), you may have to do a little bit of research. To get you started, though, here are some chemicals to avoid like the plague: parabens, which according to the Environmental Working Group have been linked to hormone disruptions that could lead to tumors, phthalates, and anything made using ethyloxylation, which produces a carcinogenic chemical as a byproduct (www.ewg.org/node/26460).
If memorizing chemical names sounds too much like studying for a degree in chemistry to you, you can use an online database to check the safety of the products you purchase. The Environmental Working Group has a website called Skin Deep which can be used to look up different ingredients, products and brands. A similar website is run by the Personal Care Product Council, an organization that represents the cosmetics industry. As you have probably already guessed, the ingredients that are rated as "safe" vs. "dangerous" are different on each site. For example, the PCPC's website states that "based on the weight of current scientific evidence, there is no reason for consumers to be concerned about the use of cosmetic and personal care products containing Parabens." (http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/HBI/9). Skin Deep, on the other hand, says that parabens have been linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, hormone disruptions, and other health issues.
It's important to remember that synthetic ingredients are not by definition harmful. However, many of the ingredients commonly used in cosmetics today do pose health concerns that have not been adequately answered by the cosmetics industry. Also, if consumers want "natural" or "organic" products, that is what they should get when they pick up a product that has those words on the label. However, the unfortunate truth is that you can't trust marketing buzzwords to tell you what's really in the products you use. Doing your own research is essential to making sure that the skin care products you pay for are actually what you intended to buy.
What are the 7 important benefits about green tea and skin that you must know?
Learn how to buy green tea skin care products by avoiding being ripped off in my green tea guide.
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