We all know the benefits of eating home cooked, organic foods - fewer toxins, no genetically modified ingredients and more flavor. Choosing organic makeup and beauty products brings the same advantages, with naturally effective treatments for skin, hair and body that feel great, smell delicious and work in harmony with your skin's natural functions to promote health and radiance.

What is Natural?

Natural products are made from plants, minerals, and/or animal derived ingredients, rather than from synthetic compounds or petrochemicals. However, there is no legal definition of "natural" at this time and many companies claim their products are "natural." The BDIH is a standards body that certifies a product to be 100% natural, and in doing so, applies their own strict set of rules that govern any product displaying the Certified Natural seal. These rules define "natural" to exclude synthetic compounds, petrochemical derived compounds, genetically modified organisms and raw materials from dead animals. It also excludes animal testing and mandates certified organic sourced ingredients wherever possible.

Natural ingredients, organic or not, ensure that petrochemical and synthetic compounds are not accumulating in your body or the environment. While natural ingredients do not eliminate the possibility that the skin care you chose will irritate your skin or trigger an allergic reaction, it does reduce the likelihood of such occurrence.

What is Organic?

If a product bears an official 'certified organic' stamp, you can be confident that the majority of its ingredients (at least 95%) have been grown and processed according to strict, government-controlled, organic agricultural standards, and then verified by a third-party certifying body.

Organic agricultural standards do not allow for any use of synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, sewage sludge, or genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), although issues have been raised regarding the latter. They also set strict criteria in regards to the treatment of animals and the environment.

In addition to the benefits they reap for our personal health, organic farming methods also have tremendous advantages for the environment. Through using natural fertilizers, they greatly reduce the amount of toxic chemicals, such as synthetic pesticides and herbicides, released into the environment, and the volume of those chemicals that appear in the water supply. The less aggressive, intensive farming practices of organic agriculture also help safeguard the quality of natural resources.

When buying organic beauty products such as organic cosmetics or skin care items, make sure and read what ingredients are in each product and do a search for the products online and read reviews. Additionally, if there’s a certified "natural" or "organic" seal, make sure you research the company’s criteria for labeling their products as such.