Consumers are becoming more educated about the chemicals in the foods we eat, such as pesticides, herbicides, and growth hormones in agricultural products as well as harmful compounds used in food processing. Health-conscious shoppers are not only eating more organic food, but are also more interested in organic beauty products. Organic body cream is considered a healthier choice for people who are worried about absorbing toxic synthetic chemicals through their skin.
Organic body cream might be labeled “100% Organic,” which usually means all of the ingredients are certified organic by an outside organization such as the USDA in the US, the EU in Europe, or a strict international certifying organization like Oregon TILTH. Personal care products can have other labels like “organic,” which means 95% of ingredients are organic, or “made with organic ingredients” which means at least 70% of the ingredients are organic. Many organic body creams are sold as green products that might be cruelty-free, biodegradable, fair trade, or made using sustainable agricultural or business practices.
The driving concern behind organic body cream is the number of synthetic chemicals that are regularly used in conventional skin-care products. For example, parabens are a common cosmetic preservative, propylene glycol is used as a carrier oil for scents, and sodium laureth sulfate is used to increase penetration of skin products. These products came to be used in cosmetics before their effect on humans was known, and their use is largely unregulated because cosmetics are not regulated like food products.
The cumulative effect of all the untested chemicals used in our daily lives has become a cause for concern in recent years. Parabens have been found to be carcinogenic, and they disrupt hormone production by mimicking estrogen. Propylene glycol can cause serious skin irritation and slow the growth of new skin cells while sodium laureth sulfate can cause cancer and hair loss. Organic body creams usually do not contain these compounds.
The different types of organic body cream are similar to non-organic creams. Most companies offer a range of moisturizers and body butters, including day creams and night creams for different skin types. There are also various kinds of face creams, including under-eye creams and anti-aging creams. These creams are available in a wide range of food-based, spice, and floral scents. Some types of organic body cream are even made with food-grade organic products and can therefore be marketed as “edible” or “vegan.”
