When the name is organic, claims Dr Bronner, there should be a lot. Recently the ultra-hippie company took a number of other cosmetics and body care companies to court, charging that their products contained petrochemicals and ingredients produced using pesticides, yet labeled themselves "organic" (and you can bet charged customers a premium to do it, too). Among the offenders: J/A/S/O/N, Kiss My Face, Avalon, and Nature's Gate. This is almost a moot point for us personally, since our beauty needs are taken care of by baking soda, vinegar, castile soap, (Trader Joe's or Dr Bronner's) jojoba, and tea trea oil, but I admit we've used some of these offenders in the past--and felt like we were doing the right thing by doing so. The case is still moving forward, but so far, progress is encouraging. And two companies, Ikove and Juice Beauty, have settled and resolved to make their products truly organic in the future.
Why is this such a big deal? Because what you put on your skin gets into your body. If you wouldn't eat it, you probably shouldn't wear it (which makes the ridiculous amount of crossover between our kitchen products and our bathroom ones not seem so crazy, huh?). Feel like it's your face, your choice? First of all, if companies are improperly labeling their products, consumers aren't able to make an informed choice. I can almost guarantee that the vast majority of people buying the above products did so because they're supposedly organic. It's certainly not because they're the least expensive! And besides, in addition to what you directly apply to your skin (or hair), you're also rinsing it into the water supply--which means you're exposing all kinds of other people, too.
We love Dr Bronner's products because they're pure, they work, they have tons of uses, and are packaged and manufactured in sustainable ways. We love even more that the company is willing to put its money where its mouth is, and open itself up to scrutiny, by taking the above kinds of actions.
Curious about just how good or bad the ingredients in your favorite products are? The Environmental Working Group has an awesome Cosmetic Safety Database where you can look them up. But the whole argument underscores why we've made the effort to switch over to using single, unprocessed ingredients wherever we can: because we know what's in them, and so we get to choose what we're putting on, and therefore IN, our bodies.
Why is this such a big deal? Because what you put on your skin gets into your body. If you wouldn't eat it, you probably shouldn't wear it (which makes the ridiculous amount of crossover between our kitchen products and our bathroom ones not seem so crazy, huh?). Feel like it's your face, your choice? First of all, if companies are improperly labeling their products, consumers aren't able to make an informed choice. I can almost guarantee that the vast majority of people buying the above products did so because they're supposedly organic. It's certainly not because they're the least expensive! And besides, in addition to what you directly apply to your skin (or hair), you're also rinsing it into the water supply--which means you're exposing all kinds of other people, too.
We love Dr Bronner's products because they're pure, they work, they have tons of uses, and are packaged and manufactured in sustainable ways. We love even more that the company is willing to put its money where its mouth is, and open itself up to scrutiny, by taking the above kinds of actions.
Curious about just how good or bad the ingredients in your favorite products are? The Environmental Working Group has an awesome Cosmetic Safety Database where you can look them up. But the whole argument underscores why we've made the effort to switch over to using single, unprocessed ingredients wherever we can: because we know what's in them, and so we get to choose what we're putting on, and therefore IN, our bodies.
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