USDA Certified Organic ingredients are free from the contamination of toxic fertilizers and pesticides, meaning that none of these toxins are absorbed into your skin and body.
But the health benefits of organic ingredients don’t stop here. Beauty also lies deep within the soil in which organic plants grow and thrive. When it comes to organic farming, it’s not just dirt the plants grown in. Termed the ‘soil microbiome’, it functions as the lifeblood and health of the plant. The Center for Microbiome Innovation at the University of California San Diego is studying the trillions of organisms associated with humans and soils. The scientists and experts directing what is termed as the ‘Earth Microbiome Project’, believe these soil microbes could also have a big impact on the nutritional content of the plant and therefore be highly beneficial for the skin, as well as in the body.
What is clear is that a damaged soil microbiome with pesticides and fertilizers lowers the concentration of the key nutrients plants need and, subsequently, in the food we eat and the botanical ingredients we use in skincare products. A recent review of 56 studies published in the journal Public Library of Science found that soil from organic farms contained 32% to 84% more microbial nutrients. It also indicated that when soil has fewer microbes, plants are nutrient-deficient and consequently, far less nourishing. These studies also showed that plants grown on organic farms contained 18% to 36% more minerals and age-fighting antioxidants than plants grown on conventional farms. Once again proving that not only are certified organic ingredients superior, but the ‘superorganisms’ in the soil that provide the nutrition truly help develop a ‘superfood’ for optimal skin environment and microbiome. With certified organic skincare products, you can be sure your skin and body are receiving real nutritional benefits through ultra-nourishing, natural ingredients.
Source: Lori, Martina, et al. “Organic Farming Enhances Soil Microbial Abundance and Activity—A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression.” PLOS ONE, vol. 12, no. 7, 2017, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0180442.
Questions? Comments? Or just curious about clean cosmetic chemistry? Send an email to our Clean Chemist at cleanchemist@nourishorganic.com!
]]>Q: Why did you start the brand Nourish Organic?
The timing of the National Organic Program (NOP) implementation coincided with our goal to establish a truly organic brand—a brand which could be trusted to include only food-grade ingredients, grown organically and minimally processed. No chemicals or artificial ingredients was our standard—easy to say, so difficult to do. Many companies offered “organic” personal care, however, those products contained chemical ingredients and some level of toxicity and/or naturally derived ingredients which failed to meet any standard. Traditional preservatives, stabilizers, fragrances, etc. were still widely incorporated into products, with true organic ingredients used to a much lesser extent as these brands evolved to meet consumer expectations for organic products. Those brands dominated the shelf space in the personal care category. “Organic” claims were confusing in the industry, so obviously consumers were confused too.
I was not alone in believing people were duped by dubious “organic” labeling. It was time for honest, transparent organic labeling. We wanted to achieve a high bar with all of the products we offered and use not only true organic ingredients but offer the efficacy consumers expected in the products they used. The NOP had just included personal care in its scope so it was the opportune time to develop our brand to meet the rigorous—and many claimed impossible—standards for personal care based upon organic food standards.
Q: What motivated you to seek the first organic certification of personal care?
Honestly, it was because others did not believe it could be done. I believed in what we envisioned in the purity of the brand and I knew that we indeed could and truly would achieve certification using the [organic] standards. Achieving something you not only believe in, but that could now become certified so people could trust and differentiate ingredients was the motivator and became our mission. Nay-sayers were everywhere we turned so we tuned them out and moved forward passionately!
Q: What was your biggest challenge?
Wow! So many challenges. Let me please choose three:
First, it would be product preservation without using preservatives. Certified organic products were not allowed to contain preservatives. Water is the traditional base to personal care products and required preservation for safety and oh, by the way, certified organic products could not count water in the calculation of organic percentages – another issue to overcome! The time and dollars we spent just to deliver on that nearly impossible preservative-free dream made my hair turn prematurely gray!
Next, it would be the battle with the USDA, who included personal care within the scope of the program and then after we got 20 products certified, reversed their decision to include personal care. Many sleepless nights! Understanding and working within the political arena and government bureaucracy took so much time and energy away from running the company. However, those were battles we fought not only to assure our goals but for the greater good of consumers who could embrace a standard and make choices based upon integrity, not just marketing hype.
Finally, I would say that being compared continually with mainstream companies and their not-so-honest “organic” claims, and then educating on the USDA NOP Organic Standards was an opportunity and a challenge. Plus, we had to justify the cost. Not using water at a high percentage and using high-quality, certified organic ingredients made our products unique, but also made them more expensive. Educating stores and our customers was a big challenge back then.
Q: What kept you going?
My passion and need to motivate our team after many setbacks during this time kept me going. I have a strong and persistent will, which gets only stronger during the tough times. I was not about to leave my dream and the dream others embraced in our company. Horst Rechelbacher was a good friend of ours—he founded Aveda then sold the company to Estee Lauder. He encouraged us and was one of my mentors as well. He believed it could be done we shared in that belief!
Q: What is your advice to female entrepreneurs in the personal care and beauty industry?
Fortunately, there are many female entrepreneurs in this industry. I would urge them to follow their paths and not allow nay-sayers to get in their way—surround yourself by “YES” people when it comes to following that path. If you lack true passion, an all-consuming focus, and unrelenting energy, then mountain tops are probably not yours to climb, however, those are a few of the key ingredients that will take you to any destination of your choosing.
Q: What role did luck play throughout this journey?
I am not a believer in luck. Blessings, yes! Timing, yes. Luck is what happens at a slot machine. The role of luck implies a dimension where you’re in the right time and place and bam, success happens! I think there is more to believing, to having faith. Then you find and follow your path and work like hell with others to make it happen! It takes a long time, and you must overcome a great deal when doing something others say cannot be done. When it is done (but never really finished) nothing is sweeter and more satisfying!
We are so grateful for Lynn’s unrelenting dedication to her vision of creating the first Certified Organic personal care products and we are proud to carry that torch today. Even though Lynn is no longer an active co-founder, her mission to create the healthiest, safest, most sustainable skincare available lives on in Nourish Organic.
]]>🕵️♀️ Let’s break down what goes into creating a truly sustainable product. Sustainability is a long-term systematic process that includes all of the steps a company takes to create a product and the impact that each of those steps has on the long-term health of our planet. Sustainability goes beyond recyclable packaging – it’s the entire footprint of a product from start to finish. It begins with how the ingredients are grown, processed, and manufactured — factoring in environmental impact, including animal welfare — and ends with whether the ingredients are biodegradable as they travel back to our soil, water supply, and oceans.
🌱 Achieving environmental sustainability requires many moving parts, and one of the most critical is maintaining soil health. The USDA describes soil as “an intricate symbiotic ecosystem (that) can be managed to support plants and animals.” This fragile living ecosystem can be destroyed by the use of toxic and synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other harmful chemicals, which are currently used in non-organic conventional farming. By contrast, organic farmers follow approved, sustainable production methods and do not use toxic agrochemicals, which helps to maintain a healthy soil ecosystem.
🌱 Beyond farming, the methods in which plant ingredients are obtained and produced can have a long-term impact on the environment. Palm oil—which is used in almost half of all consumer goods—is causing widespread rainforest deforestation and forcing the extinction of many native animal species. At Nourish Organic, we have chosen not to use palm oil or its derivatives because of its unsustainable origins.
🌱 Biodegradability is another key factor that is paramount for the protection of the environment. We have already seen the harmful damage that sunscreen ingredients Oxybenzone and Octinoxate (now banned in Hawaii) have afflicted on our delicate coral reef ecosystems. Other toxic chemicals that severely damage our aquatic and soil ecosystems include silicones, synthetic fragrances, and synthetic preservatives (including Phenoxyethanol). Certified Organic ingredients, on the other hand, are minimally processed and are biodegradable in water and/or soil.
Thoroughly sustainable brands aim for these eco-labels 👉 recyclable, biodegradable, cruelty-free certification from Leaping Bunny, certification for good business practices (like Fair Trade or B-Corp), and USDA or NSF Organic Certification – all of which require brands to comply with strict guidelines that create a true corporate sustainability ethos.
Striving to be 100% sustainable is something we at Nourish Organic are very passionate about. Our 3rd-party certifications provide transparency to our sustainable ingredient growth and production practices. And although our current packaging is 100% recyclable, our goal is to fully incorporate biodegradable plastics and paper into our packaging by no later than 2024.
The adoption of all of these strategies is critical to maintain true sustainability. All companies have the responsibility to make sure that the products we create for beauty also respect and protect the beauty of our planet. 🌎
]]>Here are the 4 signs that you may be in a toxic ‘clean beauty’ relationship:
If you identified with any of these, it’s time to break out (of the relationship, that is). You’re not alone—we've all been there. We hold onto things that aren’t necessarily working for us just so we don’t have to go through the process of finding something new.
Before you can achieve healthy skin, you have to have a healthy relationship with your skincare. After all, you can’t take control if you don’t know how ‘clean’ your products really are—especially when there is no legal definition of the term ‘clean’. Plus the fact that brands can make organic claims yet contain ingredients that are not allowed in Certified Organic products. This is why a “clean, natural, or organic” declaration on a beauty product without the certification to back it up can get very vague and deceptive.
The reality is that when you are in a toxic relationship with a product that uses marketing hype or misinformation to claim to be clean or green or natural or organic, you can’t fully realize it until you start doing your own research. Independent consumer and health non-profit organizations like Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, The National Organic Program, and the Environmental Working Group are good places to start. But the best way to determine whether your products are truly clean is to look for the USDA or NSF Certified Organic seal. These seals can only appear on products that meet strict and regulated organic standards set by the National Organic Program that ensure safety, transparency, and environmental accountability.
Recovering from a breakup is not easy, but just remember that it's not you, it's them. Be strong and don’t give into greenwashing. Do your research and be suspicious of brands that talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. A trusting, nourishing, long-term relationship always begins with honesty.
Questions? Comments? Or just curious about clean cosmetic chemistry? Send an email to our Clean Chemist at cleanchemist@nourishorganic.com!
]]>Aloe Vera Juice is composed of not just water, but polysaccharides, anthraquinones, amino acids, glycosides, minerals, flavones, phytosterols, Salicylic Acid, Vitamin B complex, Folic Acid, Vitamin C and carotene (Vitamin A) – all incredibly beneficial compounds for skin health! The ‘juice’ is the clear gel that makes up the majority of the aloe leaf and is highly hygroscopic (water-loving). It binds to moisture and is an excellent carrier for other water-based ingredients.
So, what are the functions of each of these important nutrients present in Aloe Vera?
My team recently asked me to nail down my 5 most-loved benefits of Certified Organic Aloe Vera — it was hard to choose just five, but these top benefits made the list:
You can see for yourself how much we adore this powerhouse succulent! Look at the ingredient list on all of your non-oil-based Nourish Organic products – you'll see Organic Aloe Vera Juice listed as the very first ingredient.
Have you noticed positive changes in your skin since incorporating organic skincare into your routine? We'd love to hear about your experience! Comment below or send an email to our resident Clean Chemist at cleanchemist@nourishorganic.com.
]]>It is essential to always put science first when formulating skincare products –specifically, biochemistry. Biochemistry is the language of life; it is the science concerned with the chemical constituents and activities of living, biological cells: the forefront of the skin. And it should always be the benchmark for product development.
Science may not be static, but the biology of your skin has remained the same for thousands of years. It hasn’t just developed new talents or morphed a desire for a new trendy ingredient! When formulating skincare products, you start at the top – the stratum corneum (SC), or top layer of your skin. Because this (the skin barrier) is where having a consistent skincare regimen with the right ingredients is most effective.
Each day, the SC is exposed to ultraviolet light, free radicals, dirt, and pollutants. It is literally the ‘barrier’ between us and the world! It’s made of dead skin cells called corneocytes, which are arranged like bricks, with lipids (fatty acids) floating between them like mortar. On top of that is the acid mantle, your first layer of defense where healthy microbes defend against bad ones. In healthy skin, that barrier not only blocks out invading substances, but also locks in critical moisture.
But what ingredients are the best at maintaining healthy skin? Really, it’s pretty basic biochemistry: provide your skin with the ingredients for life – the ‘ingredients’ that the skin already recognizes that it needs and thrives on to maintain a healthy barrier and microbiome. These key ingredients are:
Introducing products into your skincare regimen that have high concentrations of these key ‘ingredients’ – preferably sourced from whole plants – is the secret to maintaining healthy, balanced skin for the long haul.
Have questions, comments, or just want to chat about skincare? Shoot an email over to our Clean Chemist at cleanchemist@nourishorganic.com!
]]>Struggling with dryness, inflammation, irritation, sensitivity, blemishes, or premature aging? Your skin barrier may be compromised. Understanding how your skin functions is the key to knowing what it needs to stay healthy. Read on for ways to get back to basics and build your skin's 'foundation' for optimal skin health.
]]>When it comes to beauty, for the most part, this change has not only forced our beauty routine to become much simpler—particularly when it comes to wearing heavy makeup like foundation—but has put the spotlight on our skincare in general.
When getting back to basics and building your skin’s ‘foundation’, it’s important to understand that there are two separate parts of its ecosystem at play here: balancing the skin barrier, which in turn, ultimately defends and preserves the skin microbiota—the trillions of living microbes and friendly bacteria that impact how the skin functions from day to day.
The skin barrier is a water-loving, protective layer that resides directly on top of the stratum corneum – the skin’s outer layer. It is made up mostly of water and essential lipids—natural fats that play a crucial role in maintaining the skin’s strength, inhibiting bacterial growth, and aiding in its natural repair process. It serves as the ‘wall’ between the body and the environment. The more hydrated and protected the barrier is, the fewer toxins, including bad bacteria, that can infiltrate it. This includes protecting the skin’s vital, living microbiome (where the skin microbiota live).
Without properly caring for the skin barrier, including keeping moisture levels at an optimum and supplementing with key lipids and antioxidants like Vitamin A, C, and E, our skin ceases to function optimally, leading to dryness, inflammation, irritation, sensitivity, blemishes, and premature aging. The key offenders damaging the barrier? Harsh synthetic surfactant (cleansing) ingredients like SLS, aggressive exfoliants, and strong acids that completely strip your natural oils, disrupting and ultimately throwing the skin barrier off balance and severely compromising the microbiome. Bottom line: If the skin barrier is healthy and nourished, so is the microbiome.
Stabilizing the skin’s ecosystem starts with replenishing and balancing the skin’s barrier with a combination of nourishing, skin-identical, and vitamin-enriched botanical lipids like Argan Oil, Rosehip Oil, Jojoba Oil and Shea Butter, plus potent humectants like pure Aloe Vera Juice and Coconut Oil. Balancing the barrier – the ‘foundation of the skin’ – is truly the key to optimal skin health.
Questions? Comments? Or just curious about clean cosmetic chemistry? Send an email to our Clean Chemist at cleanchemist@nourishorganic.com!
]]>Your Best Uncomplicated AM/PM Skincare Routine
Nourish your skin by choosing products that contain certified organic, clean, beneficial, and nutritive bioactive botanical ingredients that also mimic the skin's protective barrier. Besides saving time, uncomplicating your skincare routine saves money and natural recourses. Further, applying a multitude of products can increase your risk of skin irritation, redness, inflammation, and possible breakouts—as multiple active ingredients can most often be incompatible (particularly Vitamin C with any AHA, BHA, Retinol, or Niacinamide), negating any benefit to the skin.
Bottom line, your beauty routine shouldn’t exhaust you to be beneficial. And based on what we have learned over the past six months, our skincare routine is definitely an important daily regimen that we each should be able to minimally define, simplify, and own.
Questions? Comments? Or just curious about clean cosmetic chemistry? Send an email to our Clean Chemist at cleanchemist@nourishorganic.com!
]]>Although we applaud the ‘do no harm standards’, organic goes way beyond the simple approach of ‘free from’. Organic certification guarantees that products keep ALL harmful ingredients out. Over 2100 to be exact, including parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, artificial fragrances and synthetic preservatives (including phenoxyethanol), silicones, propylene glycol, mineral oils, sulfates, synthetic dyes, triclosan, PEGs, and EDTA. Nor are they grown with any toxic pesticides or fertilizers, so they don't leave a harmful footprint on our planet, particularly the soil, water, and air.
Organic Certification raises the bar in the clean approach to skincare. And here’s where it does get easy: certification doesn’t require you to decode the ingredient list to ensure safety. You can trust that the botanical ingredients are grown, processed, and ultimately formulated into a clean product for your skin. Because Certified Organic tells you what’s not in your skincare, you can focus on what is.
You can therefore state that Certified Organic is beyond clean. A USDA Certified Organic or NSF Certified label ensures the highest quality of the purest and highly regulated standards of botanical ingredients for your skin.
No, it’s not easy being green, but again, it’s the right thing to do. Not only for the health of your skin but for the health of our environment. Because we believe in living a healthy, nourished life.
Questions? Comments? Or just curious about clean cosmetic chemistry? Send an email to our Clean Chemist at cleanchemist@nourishorganic.com!
]]>And Certified Organic? It’s highly regulated and legally means a brand, product, or ingredient has been certified by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). In other words: grown, managed, and processed under very strict regulations without the use of pesticides or fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The USDA Organic certification is the most rigorous, government-regulated agricultural standard the United States has and is recognized and respected throughout the world.
Plants grown organically provide clean ingredients to promote healthier skin. In fact, they are found to contain a much higher level of vital antioxidants and essential minerals and nutrients than non-organic plants.
Organic farming is also healthier for the surrounding wildlife, as it eliminates any pollution from pesticide and fertilizer sprays and produces less carbon dioxide and other dangerous wastes, thereby supporting the sustainability of our environment.
It’s important to note that if a product is not certified organic, it is supposed to be transparent and must not make any organic claims anywhere on the product or package. Products claiming to be organic without certification might actually contain as little as one percent of organic ingredients.
Simply put, the USDA organic seal ensures that the ingredients in your product were obtained from farmers who follow a strict set of federal standards aimed at promoting ecological sustainability—restricting not 10, 20 or 200 banned ingredients, but over 2100 chemical ingredients—and avoiding substances that are hazardous to the environment, wildlife and human health. Truly organic skincare must contain 70-95% organic-certified ingredients and display either the USDA Organic or NSF Organic seal on its package and/or product. In other words, Certified Organic provides you with clear and clean expectations of what IS and what IS NOT in your product.
And for Nourish Organic?
We believe clean beauty should go beyond a marketing claim. It should be synonymous with clean agriculture, clean soil, clean ingredient harvesting, and clean manufacturing practices. At Nourish Organic, we recognize that every element in the process of creating a product has an impact. All Nourish Organic products are 100% Certified Organic by the USDA or NSF—heightening our safe, sustainable, and transparent formulation philosophy and practices. With the Certified Organic Seal from the USDA and NSF, we can guarantee that our products are organic, sustainably sourced, environmentally produced, and exclude any harmful ingredients.
This is clean beauty, the way nature intended.
Questions? Comments? Or just curious about clean cosmetic chemistry? Send an email to our resident Clean Chemist at cleanchemist@nourishorganic.com!
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