Eco chic: our favourite organic indulgences

26 Apr 2008 00:52 AM | Posted by Editor

Sacrifice nothing. These organic beauty essentials skip the synthetics, without losing any of the luxury...

 

SLA Ecological & Organic Natural Complexion Illuminator, $41.20
Certified by Ecocert, this all-natural glow-getter features fair trade sesame oil and beeswax for a silky feel plus powdered mother of pearl for a luminous finish. We love the flaunt-worthy silver compact too.

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Getting the real organic deal

Not all 'organics' are created equal. Bh asked the experts how to be sure of the best buys…

Look for certification logos

• Akiko Nicholls, certification manager at Australian Certified Organic (ACO), says that to be stamped certified organic in Australia, a product must be at least 95% organic in content and meet the food-grade standards enforced by certifying bodies (there is currently no grading for cosmetics). Products containing 70-95% organic contents are ‘allowed’ and carry a ‘made with organic ingredients’ logo. In either case, artificial ingredients may not be included in formulas.

• Sharon McGlinchey, the founder of MV Organic Skincare, warns that, unaccompanied by endorsement from a certifying association, the word 'organic' in brand names or on packaging might mean little. Due to a lack of regulation, products calling themselves ‘organic’ may contain negligible amounts of organic matter mixed in with synthetics.

• McGlinchey adds that, because of the strict certification guidelines, many “serious” all-natural, though less than 70% organic, cosmetics cannot be endorsed by certifiers.

Read labels

• McGlinchey advises that inspecting ingredient lists is the best way to sort partly organic naturals from the mostly synthetic. The top third of the list should account for 90% of the formula, the second third for up to 8% and the last third approximately 2%. Organic ingredients should be listed at the top and highlighted with a symbol, such as an asterisk.

• Check also that your products are free from genetically modified ingredients, mineral oil, propylene glycol, animal and petroleum derivatives, solvents, sodium lauryl sulfates and ammonium lauryl sulfates.

Top left image courtesy Serge Louis Alvarez (SLA)

 
– Tracey Withers