Cause and Effect: An Organic Law Suit

In March of 2008 David Bronner and his company sued a long list of personal care companies that used organic claims. They also sued OASIS and EcoCert. Four and a half years later the judge dismissed the whole enchilada.

The looming nature of this law suit caused many companies to stop using organic ingredients all together. Kiss My Face, after years of adding organic content, shifted their whole line to “natural” (natural, a word which has no meaning) but they seem to use organic aloe in a few products. Multiple other companies also stopped using organic ingredients other than aloe. The Avalon brand did get certified to the NSF Standard, which, because it only requires 70% organic content, again means . . . a lot of aloe. So – lots more organic aloe being used. Gee.

This is not to say that these are not good companies – they are making well designed products for the most part – but there is no incentive to use more than the minimum organic when it comes to designing the products so…there is little or no innovation in organic ingredients for cosmetics. This combined with the Whole Foods policy requiring that one use the NOP or the NSF Standard has hurt the industry rather than stimulated it. I so wish WF would add EcoCert and Soil Association cosmetic standards. That competition between standards just MIGHT push things forward.

As for the rest of you who are clearly committed to using as many organic ingredients as possible to support farms and healthy ingredients and an environment with less garbage going down our drains: thank you.