Products that are mostly or soley minerals can’t get the organic certification even if they are 100% natural and safe, as minerals are inorganic. So don’t be put off by a mineral brand not having an organic certification. Just read their ingredient list webpages to check there’s no nasties, or fillers.

- We grow over 80% of our herbal ingredients organically on our own farm, which has yet to be certified organic (we’ve only been here 1 year and we need at least 3 to become certified);
- We source certified organic locally whenever and wherever it is available.
- We are strict about other ingredients (preservatives, for example), ensuring they are as safe as possible (check us out our very low hazard scores on CosmeticsDatabase.com).

I also wanted to mention that organic certification bodies (of which there are quite a number, such as Eco-Cert as mentioned above), are quite varied in terms of what they will and will not allow in a product for it to be certified under their standard.

For example, under one certification program the product need only contain as little as 10% organic content, while under others it must be as much as 95%.

Obviously with such variability, the consumer really isn’t being served by the certification label, unless they are aware of the regulations behind the certifier’s standard.

Then there are manufacturers like us (often small businesses) who cannot yet, (or choose not to) seek official certification. They may be very legitimate in terms of the ‘organic-ness’ of their products, yet don’t carry a certification label. It doesn’t mean they don’t make a safe, organic product. In fact, many un-certified product lines will contain more organic ingredients and be safer than some you find on the shelf that are labelled ‘organic’ and include a certifier’s ’seal’.

I guess it all boils down to one thing – regardless of what certification the company uses (if any), the consumer must still do their homework about a brand and their ingredient lists to be sure they fully understand what they are really buying.

Footnote: As soon as we can (and hopefully if there is a definitive standard all personal care manufacturers can adhere to and all consumers can understand) Alchemilla will be seeking certification.

Thanks