How organic is organic going to be?

For some time now, many in the movement have wondered how the all natural personal care industry is going to maintain it's integrity as green, health conscious products increase in demand. New "all natural" companies pop up every day it seems. Organic shampoos, all natural skin toners, organic fruit enzyme cleansers. You read the "organic" and "all natural" labels and say to yourself, wow, there's so many choices now. But how do you know that the product is organic, it could contain a percentage of organic ingredients, but how much (or how little) constitutes the organic label?

Well some things are in the works to nail down these definitions and to nail the impostors.

• Last month, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps filed a lawsuit charging many of its competitors with deceptively marketing their soaps and lotions.

  The lawsuit - filed in San Francisco Superior Court - targeted many widely known cosmetic manufacturers including Estee Lauder, Kiss My Face, Hain Celestial and Stella McCartney America. It also named smaller firms such as Mill Valley-based Juice Beauty.

  In the suit, Dr. Bronner's accused the firms of false advertising by labeling products "organic" that contain relatively little organic material, that contain synthetic chemicals, or that use petrochemicals in processing.

  "This is the corrosive marketing of the cosmetics industry that hollowed out the meaning of 'natural' and now is doing the same with 'organic'," said David Bronner, president of the 60-year-old company.

  The lawsuit is evidence of the growing clout of green consumers, particularly in the arena of personal care products. Sales of natural body care products grew from $499 million in 2004 to $685 million in 2006 - an increase of 37 percent, according to the consumer products research firm Mintel.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture sets strict standards for organic food. But it doesn't have a similar standard for soaps, shampoos and cosmetics.

  Some firms like Dr. Bronner's have voluntarily adopted the USDA's organic food standard for their body care products, which requires that 95 percent of the ingredients be organic if a product is to call itself organic.

  Some other firms like Juice Beauty adhere to California's standard for organic body care products, which is less demanding than the USDA food standard.

• 30 cosmetic companies, including Estee Lauder's Aveda, came out with their own set of rules called Organic and Sustainability Industry Standards (OASIS). Products have to have at least 85 percent certified-organic content to qualify for the OASIS seal. Plus, non-organic ingredients included in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-certified organic products can only be substituted if they're not available in organic form. But, the watchdog Organic Consumers Association thinks this 85% is misleading, considering that many personal care products are more than 85% water.

All Natural

The new standard for all natural products has been developed by the Natural Products Association. The new certification they have developed has been influenced by many long time industry leaders as well as good science and respected international standards.

Under the new program, products must follow strict guidelines set out by the Natural Products Association to merit bearing the seal. The criteria include, but are not limited to:

• Product must be made up of at least 95 percent truly natural ingredients or ingredients that are derived from natural sources
• No ingredients with any potential suspected human health risks
• No processes that significantly or adversely alter the purity/effect of the natural ingredients
• Ingredients that come from a purposeful, renewable/plentiful source found in nature (flora, fauna, mineral)
• Processes that are minimal and don't use synthetic/harsh chemicals or otherwise dilute purity
• Non-natural ingredients only when viable natural alternative ingredient are unavailable and only when there are absolutely no suspected potential human health risks