Post Thanksgiving

I'm thankful that my clients remind me that I teach them mindfulness everyday.

Posted by Melissa Alosso on November 30th, 2009 | Permalink

Trusting labels, part 2

Alert Updates of the Week

National Organic Standards Board Votes to Crack Down on Labeling Fraud: Victory on Organic Body Care and Cosmetics Products

In a milestone victory after years of work by the OCA and the organic community to demand an end to blatant labeling fraud in the organic marketplace the National Organic Standards Board voted 12 to 1 at their November 2009 meeting to direct the USDA National Organic Program to enforce the law for organic personal care products - just as they do for organic food. This means that shampoos, body care products, and cosmetics that claim to be organic but are not certified would be forced to drop their organic label and advertising claims, or else reformulate their products (getting rid of petrochemicals and problematic synthetic ingredients) to meet "USDA Organic" or "made with organic ingredients" standards.

The Organic Consumers Association is initiating a letter-writing campaign asking the USDA to take quick action on the NOSB recommendation. While we wait for the USDA to begin enforcement actions, we're calling on consumers to boycott fake, falsely labeled organic body care brands, and instead to buy only USDA certified organic products.

Posted by Melissa Alosso on November 18th, 2009 | Permalink

Can you trust what the label tells you?

Honest - you either are or you aren't. Today I saw a competitor's website where they claimed all their products were VEGAN on their home page AND they announced their newest product made with Beeswax. Last time I checked, bees were animals - not vegetables. You're either a vegan company or you aren't.

Folks began using the term vegan in the nutrition world when vegetarian became meaningless because there were so many versions and too many exceptions. Labels are supposed to make things clear. All bets are off when our industry suppliers apply vegan to their line of skin care products and then write in small type "this is the only product we use beeswax in."

If they can interpret the word vegan like this, now wonder the word "organic" is in trouble!

In health,
Dianna



Contact us through our feedback form or email us to let us know your thoughts.

Posted by Melissa Alosso on November 11th, 2009 | Permalink

Heating oils, lotion & creams before use

Here's a good product use question a customer asked recently:

"I need to know if warming my oils, lotion or creams will cause them to break down, separate or adversely effect their potency. If it is o.k. to heat them what is the temperature range?"

Heating and cooling your oils, lotions and creams a limited number of times will not adversely effect them. Heating and cooling them over long periods of time can. Here's the trick. If you purchase bulk size oils/lotions, pump or pour out of the gallon into smaller dispensing bottles. Then heat/cool the small bottle each time you work. This way you're not heating and cooling an entire gallon at a time and you're only exposing a small amount of product at a time to the temperature fluctuations. The three things that make oils, lotions and creams go rancid are heat, light, and air so you want to minimize the exposure of the bulk of the product to those things. If you are heating and cooling a small amount at a time you will use it up before the heating process can cause rancidity.

Also make sure you use absolutely clean containers and pumps. I recommend pumping / washing through with rubbing alcohol after you've cleaned them with soap. The alcohol will sanitize and degrease.

In health,
Dianna



Contact us through our feedback form or email us to let us know your thoughts.

Posted by Melissa Alosso on November 4th, 2009 | Permalink