Many users of organic products seem to use the terms organic and natural interchangeably. I'm not a stickler for semantics, but those words actually have slightly different meanings. Natural ingredients have nature as the ingredients' source. They are unaltered, untreated and not artificial. On the other hand, ingredients labeled organic have previously been certified by an organic certification body. This certifying body has ensured that the organic ingredients were cultivated without using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and other synthetic chemicals like plant hormones or livestock feed additives. In short, an organic ingredient is a natural ingredient but a natural ingredient may not be organic, since it could have been derived from methods that were not certified organic. The problem is that some unscrupulous companies freely label their products as being organic, even without proper certification. This propagates the labeling confusion among consumers. Even for products certified organic there are three different levels, causing further confusion. 1. "100% organic" label This is for products composed entirely of certified organic ingredients. 2. "Organic" label This is for products with at least 95% certified organic ingredients. 3. "Made with organic ingredients" label This is for products with at least 70% certified organic ingredients. Products with the above labels can also display the logo of their approving certification body. Products with less than 70% organic ingredients cannot display these labels, but can merely mention it in their ingredient statement. The differences in the organic labels due to the varying organic compositions are seemingly subtle, especially to a casual user. In particular the "Made with organic ingredients" label for 70% organic composition, blurs the distinction between organic and natural. This further propagate the confusion between organic and natural products. Shanda Trias runs a website that's your one-stop destination for all things related to Organic Skin Care. Visit the site at http://www.organicskincareremedies.com Source: www.articlesbase.com | > |