Monday, October 20, 2008
NEWSBEAT: Legal Drama For Organic Beauty Companies
Beloved crunchy beauty brand Dr. Bronner's has gotten the green light to proceed with its lawsuit against other brands that claim to be organic, including Stella McCartney CARE, Jason Natural, Avalon Organics and Nature's Gate Organics. I have to admit, when the news first broke about this I wondered what E.H. Bronner, who would have been 100 this year, would have thought. Beauty nerd that I am, I'm well aware of the founder's complicated past (his parents were killed in the Holocaust, he escaped from a mental institution, and he read a lot of Kipling). But, Bronner was very concerned about morality and it will be interesting to see how his company's claim about "organic noise" in the natural product market will continue to unfold. This Summer the company settled with former defendant Juice Beauty who agreed to reformulate problem products and be petrochemical-free by February 2010.
To read the full press release from the Organic Consumers Association, click here.
Labels: Dr. Bronner's, lawsuit, organic make-up, organics
Friday, November 02, 2007
Personal Care Goes Organic
During the 12 months through Sept. 9, Americans spent $150 million on the top three mass-market natural personal care brands, including Burt’s Bees, Jason Natural Cosmetics and Tom’s of Maine, an increase of $51 million over the year before, according to Information Resources Inc., a market research firm. Meanwhile, sales of organic personal care items reached $350 million last year, an increase of $68 million over 2005, according to manufacturers’ data compiled by the Organic Trade Association, an industry group.
“We’re seeing an increased consciousness that what you put on your body is as important as what goes in your body,” said Jeremiah McElwee, the senior coordinator in charge of personal care at Whole Foods, which is the company’s fastest-growing department. “The biggest impetus for buying natural or organic body care is the perceived health benefit.”
It would seem logical to assume that common ingestible ingredients like olives or soy would naturally be healthier for the skin and body than hard-to-pronounce, multisyllabic industrial cosmetic ingredients like the preservative methylchloroisothiazolinone. But representatives for the government and the beauty industry, as well as some environmental activists, acknowledge that there is no published scientific proof to support the notion that plant-based cosmetics are safer, healthier or more effective for people.
source
“We’re seeing an increased consciousness that what you put on your body is as important as what goes in your body,” said Jeremiah McElwee, the senior coordinator in charge of personal care at Whole Foods, which is the company’s fastest-growing department. “The biggest impetus for buying natural or organic body care is the perceived health benefit.”
It would seem logical to assume that common ingestible ingredients like olives or soy would naturally be healthier for the skin and body than hard-to-pronounce, multisyllabic industrial cosmetic ingredients like the preservative methylchloroisothiazolinone. But representatives for the government and the beauty industry, as well as some environmental activists, acknowledge that there is no published scientific proof to support the notion that plant-based cosmetics are safer, healthier or more effective for people.
source
Labels: NY Times, organic, organic make-up, personal care
Friday, October 26, 2007
Organic Make-Up? - Physicians Formula Goes Organic
Physicians Formula is going natural with the launch of Organic Wear, the first certified organic makeup line to be sold in the mass market.
According to Physicians Formula chief executive officer Ingrid Jackel, research from sources such as Datamonitor and the Organic Trade Association showed that last year's U.S. organic sales hit $24 billion, growing a healthy 20 percent from 2005. Jackel noted that organic personal care is now an $8 billion industry, with expectations of surpassing $12 billion by 2011. She added that personal care has seen a 15 to 20 percent growth rate each year for five years and is expected to become a major force in the U.S. beauty industry by 2012.
"We found that more than half of women in the U.S. are seeking natural personal care products, and 44 percent are specifically looking for organic ingredients so we wanted to create something based on certified organic ingredients to fulfill the needs of this new demographic," said Jackel.
Each product contains the EcoBlend proprietary complex, designed to condition, fortify and protect skin from environmental impurities. EcoBlend complex features trademarked formulas OrganiSoy and Eco-Olive, certified organic soy and olive designed to help nourish and protect skin. The organic soy helps to even out skin tone and texture to restore smoothness, while Eco-Olive acts as an antioxidant to help protect skin from environmental aggressors. The formula also contains a variety of ingredients such as cornstarch, organic corn, jojoba seed oil, rice silk and orange extracts, which vary depending on the product.
source
According to Physicians Formula chief executive officer Ingrid Jackel, research from sources such as Datamonitor and the Organic Trade Association showed that last year's U.S. organic sales hit $24 billion, growing a healthy 20 percent from 2005. Jackel noted that organic personal care is now an $8 billion industry, with expectations of surpassing $12 billion by 2011. She added that personal care has seen a 15 to 20 percent growth rate each year for five years and is expected to become a major force in the U.S. beauty industry by 2012.
"We found that more than half of women in the U.S. are seeking natural personal care products, and 44 percent are specifically looking for organic ingredients so we wanted to create something based on certified organic ingredients to fulfill the needs of this new demographic," said Jackel.
Each product contains the EcoBlend proprietary complex, designed to condition, fortify and protect skin from environmental impurities. EcoBlend complex features trademarked formulas OrganiSoy and Eco-Olive, certified organic soy and olive designed to help nourish and protect skin. The organic soy helps to even out skin tone and texture to restore smoothness, while Eco-Olive acts as an antioxidant to help protect skin from environmental aggressors. The formula also contains a variety of ingredients such as cornstarch, organic corn, jojoba seed oil, rice silk and orange extracts, which vary depending on the product.
source
Labels: innovative, organic make-up, skincare
