Everything is certified Oragnic

Everyone ,everywhere is claiming to have or sale organic items, from grocery stores, to your local farmers market.  I personally don't believe it. Because becoming certified organic is not an easy process. However organic certification is the only way you can be sure a company's product truly complies with organic standards. Basically No certification = No proof = Not organic.
Since your spending money on it, then step up and ask for proof. If they won't or can't, walk away. Chances are they are not truly certified. Also don't be fooled bythe fact that home growers like myself,,although we may plant herbs and not use chemicals, still does not mean we are certified organic.



Sales of organic products are on the rise, and growth rates average over 20% per year. Because of this, many companies are trying to catch this wave by offering "organic" products for sale. But what does "organic" mean?

The USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) provides the benchmark, global standard for defining organic. Within the NOP, there are three levels of certification. A product's classification is based on the total percentage of its organic ingredients (without counting water or salt). 

USDA Organic Definitions

1) "100% Organic"
This means just what the name implies.

2) "Organic"
The category "Organic" applies to products containing a minimum of 95% organic contents by weight. Usually, these are products that contain a small amount of a natural preservative or processing aid that prevents them from reaching the 100% mark. For example, many fixed oils (such as palm and coconut oil) contain a trace amount of citric acid to increase their shelf life. Importantly, these trace ingredients must conform to the USDA's list of approved ingredients that can be used in organic products.

3) "Made with Organic..."
"Made with Organic..." applies to products that contain a minimum of 70% organic content but do not reach the 95% mark. The USDA has determined that 70% is the minimum amount of organic content a product can have and still use the terminology of "organic" in its labels and marketing. Here too, a product's ingredients that are not-certified organic must conform with the USDA's list of allowable products. Because of their chemistry, bar soaps cannot every reach the 95% level of organic content...

How This all applies to Soap and Skincare

Because of their chemistry, bar soaps cannot ever reach the 95% level of organic content... Organic soap and skin care products are among the most misrepresented organic products. This has to do with formulation issues, labeling requirements, and a misrepresentation of the standards. All bar soaps, and most skin care products, fall short of the 95% organic mark. Bar soaps require sodium hydroxide (NaOH, or lye) for their production. Sodium hydroxide is on the allowed list of non-organic ingredients that can be used in making organic products, and it accounts for approximately 10-15% of the ingredients, by weight (not including water or salt and depending on the recipe). Even if every other ingredient in a bar soap were certified organic, the soap would never have an organic content of more than 90%, as this is the maximum level of organic content in a bar soap.

Sometimes, manufacturers "cheat" a bit to reach higher organic content levels. Take lotion for example. A typical lotion has water among its ingredients, which does not count in any way toward organic content levels. However, by steeping organic herbs in this water first, some manufacturers claim their water is "organic," thus counting it as an organic ingredient and raising their products' organic content levels. As always, it is crucial to understand the standards and read the labels.

It is also important to verify whether or not a company's products are certified according to organic standards. Many companies claim to use organic ingredients or call their products organic; however, few have actual certification, which is the only proof for the claim. Part of the certification process includes proving an audit trail and showing the ability to trace any organic product sold back to its original organic ingredients.

Buying organic often times means higher prices. So it's worth knowing weather or not your truely paying for something certified organic or not.