Associated Press on the "Organic" Body Care Controversy

The Associated Press State & Local Wire

June 27, 2003, Friday, BC cycle

Organic labels on body care products still confusing for consumers

By JESSICA BRICE With chest-high fields of purple rolling like waves, the Bayliss Ranch embodies an all-natural image that would seem to fit on the label of any product calling itself organic. In a barn on land her family has owned since the early 1900s, Donna Bayliss distills lavender in cauldrons to produce a fragrant, clear liquid that is a main ingredient of organic shampoos, soaps and lotions. "We're taking what's in the blossom and turning it into a liquid," Bayliss said. "It looks like water, but it isn't." The concoction, called hydrosol, is at the center of a roiling debate pitting zealous organic fans against each other over the issue of what's in a name - or what's on a label. Purists say the practice taints the product by allowing water masquerading by another name to count for the large percentage of certified ingredients needed to earn the organic distinction.

To a growing niche of buyers, the organic label promises naturally grown ingredients, free of pesticides or chemical additives. To producers, it's a mark that sets them apart and brings with it a higher price. While federal regulators last year settled a decadelong organic food fight by setting strict labeling guidelines, government bodies have barely touched the $4 billion sector of the industry that caters to hair and skin needs.

That's partly because no one can agree how tough standards should be for products people don't eat. An organic stamp on a tub of ice cream and a bottle of lotion at the same store can mean wildly different things. "With a food product, it's very clear what organic means," said Phil Margolis, President of the Organic Trade Association and founder of Neshaminy Valley Natural Foods Distributor in Ivyland, Pa. "That's not the case with personal care products.

You still have to read the label, just like anything else." Most purists wouldn't eat petroleum-based ingredients or parabens, a preservative used in nonorganic food products and some prescription drugs. Both ingredients, however, are found in many so-called organic body care products and cosmetics. Avalon Natural Products, one of Bayliss Ranch's largest customers, is searching for alternatives to parabens, but company spokesman Tim Schaeffer said they are proven safe and considered the industry standard. "Without it, a bottle of organic shampoo is going to rot in your shower," he said. However, Avalon's "70 percent organic" claim on labels has worked some devotees into a lather.

The Organic Consumers Association, based in Minnesota, recently lodged a complaint with the Department of Health Services in California - the only state in which organic regulations apply to the personal care market. Food that earns the "certified organic" stamp must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients under national standards. If it contains 70 percent it receives the "made with organic ingredients" label. Water cannot be counted among those ingredients. And that's where it gets confusing. The rules don't directly apply to body care products, many of which are largely comprised of water.

In the absense of clear regulations, companies can use water alternatives - such as hydrosol or a tea-like brew called floral water - to make the organic quota. While hydrosols are certified organic products, "it's the next step that's unclear," said Brian McElroy, certification services manager for California Certified Organic Farmers in Santa Cruz. "There's no direction on how to deal with the addition of hydrosol because the standards aren't written for body care products." That ambiguity can cause confusion among consumers. "It's kind of misleading," said Laurel Melchor, 25, as she shopped recently at a Whole Foods Market in Sacramento. "Most people don't realize that the same rules don't apply. But most people probably aren't as concerned about a product that they aren't going to eat." Critics say floral waters cheapen the organic label into a marketing gimmick. "There are organic ingredients that are stable without preservatives," said Diana Kaye, co-owner of Terressentials, a small company in Middletown, Md., that boasts 100 percent organic body care products. "But those ingredients are expensive.

These giant companies ... use the synthetic ingredients and put true organic companies out of business. And because of the lack of legislation, basically you can do whatever you want." Prodded by Terressentials and at least one other Avalon competitor, the consumers association launched an ad campaign smearing the use of preservatives and petroleum-based ingredients.

The California Department of Health Services has agreed to look into Avalon's labeling, though Jim Waddell, chief of the food and drug branch, said the agency probably won't take a stand on the use of hydrosol or any other floral water. "We want the industry to work it out," he said. "We don't feel it's a public health concern either way, whether or not it's accepted." It's not an issue that will likely be solved anytime soon. The National Organic Program, the arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that handles food, hasn't said whether it plans to expand regulations to apply to cosmetics and body care products. And a task force set up by the Organic Trade Association to come up with an industry standard so far can't reach an agreement on floral waters. On the Net Organic Trade Association: http://www.ota.com Organic Consumers Association: http://www.organicconsumers.org National Organic Program: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexNet.htm ------ End of Forwarded Message