Makeup 101: Organic Shmorganic: The Truth About Organic Makeup

January 15, 2009 11:00 am     Posted in Beauty, Reality  Ali - Syracuse University g+ page

organicwear.jpgSo it seems like everyone is buzzing about the benefits of organic things these days. I’ll admit, my family is all about organic foods; Trader Joes anyone? But organic makeup seems to just be making its way to your local mall. Toting a heavy price-tag and boasting health benefits, organic makeup seems pretty legit.


By Ali

But the Katie Couric in me has decided to investigate just how legit this organic makeup is.

First off, let’s make this Organic 101 for a second and define what it means to be organic. Organic products are products that are produced without pesticides or other chemicals. They are also produced in a way that is environmentally friendly, as toxins are not released into the air. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has now made standards that regulate which foods can be deemed organic. Although usually more expensive, organic foods can be better for you, so the same should be true for organic makeup right? Turns out, not so much.

I decided to check out my best friend, Sephora, to see just what organic products they offer. Sephora is stocked with three “organic” brands: Care by Stella McCartney, Juice Beauty and NVEY Eco. Each brand claims to be pure, luxurious, and certified organic. Looking through their products they look pretty great: Care is big on moisturizing skincare and NVEY has some really pretty eyeshadow kits.

Too bad that upon further research the term organic kinda seems like a hoax…

According to OrganicConsumers.org (yeah it’s a .org so I trust it) it turns out there are no standards for organic beauty products! The Organic Consumers Association is doing its best to alert buyers that “certified” labels are not actually set to a specific government standard unless they actually say “USDA Certified.” Unless these products are certified with that specific label, they often still contain the same chemicals as their non-Organic counterparts. Oftentimes the carcinogenic chemical 1,4-Dioxide is still put in makeup products falsely labeled as organic. These products claim to be certified but they are often certified by lax regulations.

Unfortunately, none of the makeup brands on Sephora are USDA certified and thus are not recommended by the Organic Consumer Association. (Shame on you Stella McCartney!)

Check out a list of more approved beauty products here. Some companies like Organic Essence have a 100% USDA organic line of beauty products (but it is mostly lotions and soaps).

I guess the bottom line is: if you’re gonna buy organic makeup be aware that many make false claims and are often equivalent to regular or natural makeup lines. Stay in the know and save your dough!

16 Comments on "Makeup 101: Organic Shmorganic: The Truth About Organic Makeup"

  1. pamela says:
    Thu, 15th Jan 20097:18 am 

    coming from a person that buys most things organic, this is a very good article to aware more consumers about the lies about organic products. however, getting the USDA certification is not enough to prove that a product is actually organic. there have been many instances where products USDA certified organic are actually not! the most trusted name in organic is the QAI, or quality assurance international. it is a global organization that checks and confirms products to be organic. if it is not QAI certified, it may not be organic. keep this in mind!

  2. Amy says:
    Thu, 15th Jan 200911:07 am 

    I have the powder pictured here. I just use it for touch ups, because the brush is horrible. If you’re going for the benefits of organic in a makeup, I’d recommend Bare Minerals. I’m sure it’s not all organic, but it’s definitely less harsh than any other make up I’ve ever tried.

  3. Sarah says:
    Fri, 16th Jan 20097:30 am 

    I've been seeing a lot of articles lately on the fabled the "greenwashing" tactics companies use to get people to buy their products. Claiming to be "organic," "green," "eco-friendly," and the like is a huge boost for products right now in terms of sales. Marketers know what they're doing, and if all it takes to sell some extra foundation is to put "organic" on the label, they'll do it!

    Thanks for making consumers aware of this advertising fallacy. I'm sure a lot of people were oblivious to the fact.

  4. Danielle Fitch says:
    Tue, 3rd Feb 200912:43 pm 

    I actually am very familiar with the NVEY ECO brand as I am an artist using or trying to start using more green products – While this brand does not carry the USDA label, nor do they claim to have a USDA certification; they actually are certified organic via the Australian Government as well as the Organic Food Chain…they are not a US brand, and are not produced in the US, therefore they do not carry the USDA certification (there is NO certification for color cosmetics in North America). NVEY ECO is a great brand, who actually can back their claim with two organic certifications – and they don't micronize or use nano-technology!

  5. Liz Thompson says:
    Wed, 11th Feb 20099:04 am 

    As consumers we should not be concerned with the USDA stamp on a cosmetic product, but with the ingredients label itself. While cosmetics manufacturers may use the USDA seal on their products if they meet the appropriate criteria, these criteria are the same as for food items. The US government has a very flimsy regulation system for cosmetics at this point. The best way to arm yourself against harmful ingredients is to know which ingredients are harmful and read your labels. It is sad to see people putting a bad spin on organic cosmetics and skincare as a whole when there are so many safe nontoxic organic lines out there. You just have to know where to look and what to look for. http://www.organicbeautysource.com

  6. Whitney says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20094:28 pm 

    Zuzu Luxe is another amazing organic line. You can find it at Whole Foods I believe–I get mine from a little vegan-friendly store in SoCal. Their lipsticks are AMAZING and the foundation is also pretty fantastic, and great for acne-prone skin!

  7. Justine says:
    Fri, 17th Jul 200912:06 pm 

    The only true way to be safe in choosing your cosmetics is to check the actual ingredients. There are several websites out there (costmeticdatabase.com) where you can check your ingredients toxicity level. There are many "organic" "mineral" and "natural" cosmetics out there that still contain very harmful chemicals–even if it is only one or two ingredients over the ten that may be in "regular" make up/shampoo/soaps, etc. There are few products without any, but there are some. You HAVE to do your research. I've spend hours upon hours doing research and throwing out tons of product in my home and starting over. I used to sell make-up and I'm giving up my business because I can't stand behind it anymore–now that I'm aware of the realities out there with chemicals—I want my daughter to grow up without those toxins in her body… So far, I've found suki for face/lotions and Hugo Essentials for shampoos/soaps to be very clean and chemical free. I'm still looking for safe cosmetics–until them–no make up for me!

  8. Justine says:
    Fri, 17th Jul 200912:10 pm 

    let's keep each other informed of great product–by the way, a quick easy way to count something out–if it has any unnatural fragrance–according to the database–fragrance has a level 6 of 10 toxicity level–ladies, throw out those unnatural perfumes and fragranced lotions/soaps! No, you don't have to smell bad–go get natural oils–they smell way better anyway! :)

  9. Alex says:
    Wed, 11th Nov 20098:21 am 

    The most amazing thing about organic make up it keep your skin hydrated and brings immense benefit to your skin with added organic fruit and seed oils as alive and breathing,

    i've found cool site has a lot of information about organic makeup
    http://www.thesoulroom.com/organic-makeup

  10. Sal says:
    Tue, 9th Mar 201011:34 am 

    Try out Nicole Miller. It is one of the best out there as far as organic, natural and environmental safety.

  11. Erin says:
    Tue, 9th Mar 201011:39 am 

    I love them so much. You have to me a Melaleuca member to get those. If anyone is interested. Here's my email : sfpblgg@gmail.com

  12. Mairi says:
    Wed, 8th Sep 201011:28 am 

    If you had properly researched this article, you would know that all because a cosmetic is not USDA certified does not mean that it is not organic. Many brands do not bother to get certified, or seek independent certification instead. The USDA definition of organic is any product that contains at least 95% organic ingredients. Also, if you bothered to look up the ingredients in any of these brands you would see that they are indeed organic and do not contain any synthetics, chemicals, preservatices, etc.

  13. ANIALE says:
    Mon, 6th Dec 20102:11 pm 

    i'VE JUST DISCOVERED THAT I AM ALLERGIC TO A LOT OF LIPSTICKS & LIP GLOSSES. I HAVE
    TRIED EXPENSES PRODUCTS & INEXPENSIVE PRODUCTS. ANY ORGANIC PRODUCTS OUT THERE THAT HAVE A LIPSTICK OR LIP GLOSS THAT WILL NOT CAUSE AN
    ALLERGIC REACTION.

  14. Alise says:
    Fri, 10th Feb 20127:49 pm 

    Wow this is good to know. It's really scary how companies try to steal our money by labeling their products 'organic' and 'natural'. But even the most organic and gentile skin product do not help my skin… :-/

  15. Pam says:
    Fri, 9th Mar 201212:08 am 

    Have u heard of Threebrancheshealth.com? Very interesting website and produces r what u r looking for.

  16. a3716564 says:
    Fri, 14th Dec 20129:25 am 

    I’ve said that least 3716564 times. SKC was here…

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