Why buy natural beauty products?
August 4, 2007 by brilloyobbo
What difference does it make if we put petroleum on our faces and bodies? Should we stop buying beauty products altogether or should we make the switch to natural/organic cosmetics?
Greenpeace has a short answer to these questions: on its website, there is a classification of most commonly used household cosmetics - called “Le Guide Cosmetox” - in terms of how much they contain in the way of toxic chemicals. It’s easy to read because it is color-coded - red being the worst offenders, orange the middle way and green the best options. Not a single one of the products I use featured in the green columns. Colgate toothpaste, Klorane shampoo for adults and children - all were in the red, along with every perfume you can name.
So what are the alternatives?
First, check for the Ecocert label in France, which divides products into “ecologique” and “biologique”. The former guarantees components derived from 95 pct organic agriculture, while the latter contain only 50 pct. Both promise less than 5 pct non-vegetal components.
Some of the brands that score well on the Greenpeace roll call are Cattier, Weleda, Dr Hauschka and L’Occitaine’s “Immortelle” line of face care products.
More information is available from the cosmebio website. To shop for natural beauty products online, check out mademoiselle-bio.
Fabulous post!
I used to think that by going with an organic cosmetic that I would be losing the qualilty. I couldn’t have been any more wrong. I have been using kms mineral essentials cosmetics for some time now. It is amazing to me that I can not only do something good for my skin, but I can do something great for the environment as well. KmS to me has outperformed it’s other mineral makeup competition when it comes to coverage, wear, and purity.
http://www.kmsmineralessentials.com
Hi Jane,
I couldn’t agree with you more. Every time I switch (the latest thing was sunscreen) I am really thrilled by the superior texture and quality of these products. I am told by people in the industry that
in 5 years or so the mainstream products will catch up and then the organic cosmetic industry will be off on another curve to conquer new challenges. In the meantime, enjoy and thanks for reading.
Denise