Newsletters: September - October 2007
Skin and "Organic" Body Care
Natural Times-September/October 2007
By Nathaniel Hansberry
The University of Maryland Medical Center maintains that the skin is the body's largest organ. In addition to being our first line of defense against the elements, the skin stores fat, water, and vitamin D, regulates our temperature and helps us sense differences in tactile information, i.e., is it pleasure or is it pain?
The scalp, like the skin, absorbs nutrients as well as toxins, some of which bypass the liver and get stored directly in fat cells. This is both beneficial and detrimental. It's great that our skin can absorb vitamin D from sunlight but what about the potentially harmful substances in synthetic body care products that our skin can also absorb?
In the ever-increasing movement toward an "organic" lifestyle, many have started questioning their habits. For example, "Why would I insist on an organic vegetable and yet rub carcinogens directly into my skin?" is a question with a simple answer: "Because my skin can't taste them." Our sense of taste is linked to our brain and olfactory process so we are more fully engaged when eating. The skin however, absorbs and assimilates substances more discreetly, bypassing the brain and sense of taste altogether. I might toss out a perfectly good, organic cold remedy simply because it tastes bad, but a shampoo or soap packed with chemical compounds wouldn't get tossed out quite so easily simply because we don't apply to it the same level of scrutiny.
Though the benefits of an organic lifestyle are still being researched and documented, many are choosing to purchase organic products without this. Those consumers must be aware of a few things. The first is the difference between "organic" body care products and "organic" produce.
The USDA strictly enforces a standard definition of "organic" where food is concerned. No such rigor is employed on body care products, leaving many to say that the word "organic" can be made to mean anything. To be considered "organic," 95 percent of a product's weight must be "certified organic." For food, this weight can't be attributed to water. But in a body care product, hydrosol or water used to extract oils, is included as part of the weight. Consumers therefore should take the time to read labels. Labels can help discern what the manufacturer is trying to convey. When reading a label, ask yourself how many of the ingredients are "certified organic" and how many are synthetic (usually these are the ones difficult to pronounce). Investigate the company's philosophy and find if they are doing anything substantial for the environment. Although steps are being taken in government to set more stringent standards for organic body care products, there are charlatans in the industry that try to deceive consumers. Hopefully these companies will either step up to the plate or get weeded out. Some worthy organic companies that deserve mention are Pure Life Organics, Nature's Gate Organics, Aubrey, Burt's Bees, Beauty Without Cruelty, Tom's of Maine, Miracle Two and the recent addition to New Leaf Market's shelves, Panhandle Girl.
