Organic Cosmetics Gain Popularity

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  Many people care about what they put in their bodies, shopping exclusively at natural food stores and buying only organic produce. But, according to many health and environmental experts, people neglect to realize that what you put on your body can be just as important as what you put in it.

You wake up, scrub your face with a stringent exfoliating wash, then liberally apply a thick moisturizer and slather sunscreen on your cheeks and nose. Cake on some foundation, powder and blush, then brush on eye shadow, eyeliner and mascara. Deodorant, hairspray, a dab of perfume and you’re ready to go.

You may have had organic strawberries for breakfast, but what about the chemicals in that makeup you applied so diligently?

According to organic crusaders, buying organic cosmetics and beauty products is just as important as eating organic, especially because the skin is so absorbent. Beauty products can contain nasty ingredients, even some known carcinogens and pesticides, which are potentially harmful to our health – and to the environment after we wash them from our bodies.

Mbita Bakari, who works at Sevananda, a natural foods co-op in Little Five Points, said that conventional cosmetics with petroleum and other harsh chemicals negatively impact the environment by polluting streams and groundwater. All products available at Sevananda are environmentally friendly and free of artificial chemicals. Cosmetic and beauty lines include Jason, Larenim Mineral Makeup, Nature’s Gate and Dr. Hauschka’s Skin Care.

"All of our products are made with the environment in mind," said Bakari, who has shopped at Sevananda since 1986, even though he’s only been working there for about a year. "And everything you can buy here to use on your body is health-conscious – it will be good for your body, free of harsh chemicals and all-natural."

The only way to know for certain what you’re putting on and in your body is to read the list of ingredients and to be familiar with them, and be aware that the Department of Agriculture only certifies products made with at least 100 percent organic materials as truly organic, so look for the USDA seal.

Whole Foods Market also has a large selection of eco-cosmetics, carrying eco-beauty lines such as Larenim Mineral Makeup, Suki Naturals, Collective Wellbeing and Dr. Hauschka’s Skin Care. Dr. Hauschka and others have even made their packaging recyclable or biodegradable, and Cargo cosmetics, available at Sephora at Lenox Square, launched PlantLove lipstick, an all-natural beautifier housed in a corn-based tube and a box that can actually be disposed of in the soil to grow into a plant.

The well-known beauty line Origins, available at Phipps Plaza and Macy’s department stores, has also created a line of organics, and the popular Burt’s Bees products, available at most drug stores and supermarkets, has always adhered to environmentally friendly and health-conscious standards.

For more green cosmetics, try Return to Eden, an organic market on Cheshire Bridge Road that carries Larenim Mineral Makeup, and Nuts ’n Berries, a whole foods store in Brookhaven. Natural Body Spa and Shoppe, with multiple locations, also carries organic lines, including Jurlique and Naturopathica.