Why Organic and Natural Products?
We already know that eating natural and organic food is healthier for us and keeps toxic chemicals like pesticides out of our bodies. What we may not know however, is that toxins are sometimes more lethal when entered through the skin, because they go directly into our bloodstream. The skin is the largest organ in our body, and absorbs 64% of what we put on it. Cleansers, masks, creams, lotions, soaps, shampoos, are all things we use daily, sometimes several times a day. What is even more concerning is that cosmetics and skin care products do not go under the same rigorous testing as food and prescription drugs, and often times contain ingredients that not only may cause the skin to have a dependency on chemicals, long term irritations and sensitivity and increased problems, but are also harmful for our bodies and may lead to serious health risks.
Organic Vs. Natural
Which is better? This is a difficult question to answer. In general, organic products are considered better because of a higher potency of vitamins and minerals in organic ingredients versus ingredients grown with pesticides and other chemicals. Unlike natural products, ingredients in an organic product must be certified by a third party, thereby guaranteeing that there were no synthetic pesticides, synthetic chemicals and genetically modified organisms used in the process. Whether organic or natural however the most important thing is that the product does not contain any harmful chemicals. Many organically labeled products only have a few of their ingredients certified organic, but still contain harmful synthetic chemicals. Since there are currently no government regulated authorities in North America or the EU that certify organic or natural cosmetic products, it is important to look to private third party certifications in addition to the actual ingredients of a product.
Kaia House recognizes the following private third party International Organic Certifications:
Eco-Cert (France)
BDIH (Germany)
Soil Association of the UK (United Kingdom)
USDA approved Organic Certification Agencies (United States)
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