Organic Certification
Why Organic?
You can’t deny the fact that organic is a better choice when it comes to the food you eat and the products you use on your body. The less chemicals in the body, the better! But what does it mean to be ‘organic?’
The term is regulated by the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). It is not regulated by the FDA for Cosmetic & Personal Care Products.
“If a cosmetic, body care product, or personal care product contains or is made up of agricultural ingredients, and can meet the USDA/NOP organic production, handling, processing and labeling standards, it may be eligible to be certified under the NOP regulations.
The operations which produce the organic agricultural ingredients, the handlers of these agricultural ingredients, and the manufacturer of the final product must all be certified by a USDA-accredited organic certifying agent.”
If you make a product and want to claim that it or its ingredients are organic, your final product needs to be certified. If you are not certified, you can not make any organic claim on the front of the package or use the USDA organic seal anywhere on the package.
There are 3 ways companies are technically allowed to use the term ‘Organic.’
- 100 Percent Organic - products in the "100 percent organic" category contain only ingredients that are certified organic, including any processing aids. Typically, this is a one ingredient product like coffee or jojoba oil.
- Organic - products in the "organic" category must contain no less than 95% of certified organic ingredients (excluding salt and water). The remaining 5% of ingredients must be organically produced, unless commercially unavailable or allowed on the National List.
- "Made With" Organic - Multi-ingredient products in the "made with" category contain at least 70 percent certified organic ingredients (excluding salt and water). Any remaining products are not required to be organically produced, but must be produced without excluded methods – for example, genetic engineering.
Products that are "100 percent organic" or "organic" may display the USDA organic logo anywhere on the product label and can display brand names that contain the word "organic" on the front of package as long they meet all labeling requirements.
Products that are not "100 percent organic" or "organic" can only display company names containing the term "organic" as part of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor statement on the information panel (back label).
So why didn’t I name my brand All Out Organics instead of All Out Naturals?
Calling the company All Out Organics would limit my product line potential - here’s why.
Ingredients like zinc and mica are natural minerals that cannot be certified organic. They would prevent me from achieving the required 95% or higher organic ingredients to use the term organic in my brand name and place the USDA organic seal on the front packaging. The natural ingredients like these would still be safe, but they simply wouldn’t meet the requirements of the USDA’s National Organic Program.
So, I went with All Out Naturals.