Public concern over the environmental impact of sunscreen has grown, and it is believed that UV absorbing chemicals found in many mainstream sunscreens, including oxybenzone and octymethoxycinnamate, could present dangers to marine life, including coral reefs. Research has shown that 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of toxic sunscreen is washed off swimmers in the ocean every year.

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit marine environment watchdog. So, it is only fitting that the company aligns itself with a sunscreen manufacturer, like ECO Skin Care, who uses only 100% natural ingredients and is biodegradable.  ECO Sunscreen was given a 0-1 rating (safest) by the Environmental Working Group.

“Our organization was founded by, and continues to be supported by watermen – people whose lives and livelihoods are connected to oceans, waves and beaches,” said Matt McClain, Surfrider Foundation’s Marketing Director. “We are excited to be partnered with ECO Skin Care and to be using their sunscreen products.”

In support of our marine environments, ECO Skin Care will be donating up to 3% of their net revenue to the Surfrider Foundation to help fund ongoing educational and activist efforts.

“We have always held the Surfrider Foundation in high esteem in defending our marine environmental world and feel that they set the standard for ocean awareness and activism. This partnership gives our company an incredible platform from which to raise the public’s awareness as to the serious environmental issues posed by traditional chemical UV absorber based sunscreens on sensitive marine environments,” said Rick Sample, CEO of ECO Skin Care.

ECO Sunscreen is non-toxic, biodegradable and water-resistant. ECO Sunscreen has three distinct formulas; Body, Baby and Face. The company claims that its products use natural and organically sourced, chemical free ingredients.  The company further states that they use only sustainably sourced ingredients obtained from ethically responsible suppliers.

Zemea® propanediol is a natural ingredient derived from corn to be used in cosmetic, personal care and home cleaning product formulation in place of petroleum-based glycols. The ingredient has also been certified natural by Ecocert and Natural Products Association.

The ingredient claims to boost preservative efficacy and eliminate skin irritation caused by petroleum-based glycols, as well as improve moisturization. Additionally, it can be used as a solvent for naturally derived extracts.

“In addition to its bio-based content, the Zemea® manufacturing process delivers excellent environmental performance resulting in a lower energy usage and less greenhouse gas emissions when compared to its petroleum equivalent,” said Joe DeSalvo, marketing director, DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products.

Under the USDA’s BioPreferred program, biobased products are defined as those composed wholly or significantly of agricultural ingredients

DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products is a joint venture between DuPont, a global science company, and Tate & Lyle, a renewable food and industrial ingredients company. Recently, the company has expanded distribution worldwide. According to the company, Zemea® has been formulated into over 500 cosmetics and personal care products across the globe.

Organic Monitor assessed over 50 cosmetic brands and ranked them according to their level of ‘naturalness’. The research was led by a chartered chemist who analyzed the formulations of natural and organic cosmetics and compared them to their marketing claims.

Brands were categorized by their rankings as follows: Certified organic cosmetics received the highest rating (9-10), pure natural cosmetics were rated 5-7, naturally inspired cosmetics 2 and conventional cosmetics 1.

The study found that the majority of brand’s formulations do not accurately reflect their marketing claims. Products that claim to be 100% natural were discovered to include synthetic preservatives, emollients and surfactants. Some brands with ‘natural’ claims were conventionally formulated, and several organic cosmetics did not even meet natural standards.

However, the study did show that products certified by a recognized agency received the highest ranking. Although, some products contain certified organic ingredients, the formulations still have synthetic ingredients not common to natural and organic products.

Organic Monitor emphasizes the importance of natural or organic certification as it adds continuity to the industry with strict standards and guidelines on allowed natural formulation processes and ingredients. Moreover, Organic Monitor encourages companies to become certified and establish trust with consumers by helping them distinguish a truly natural product from a falsely labeled one.

Natural Cosmetic Brands Assessed

Brands that received high naturalness scores include: Intelligent Nutrients (9), Green People (8) and Living Nature (7). Intelligent Nutrients products received high naturalness ratings, as they contain high levels of organic (food) ingredients, with almost all products certified organic.

New brands launched by large multinationals also scored high in terms of their natural and organic formulations: Garnier Bio Active (L’Oreal), Diadermine Bio Expertise (Henkel) and Johnson’s Natural (Johnson & Johnson). The high naturalness ratings of these brands epitomize how the natural and organic arena has evolved from just having small niche brands.

Natural & Organic Certification

Not all certifications are created equally. While natural and organic certification agencies like ECOCERT, Soil Association, BDIH, NPA and NaTrue standardize what constitutes a natural product, the report criticized Fair Trade organizations which allow cosmetics to be certified Fair Trade if they contain a minimum level of Fair Trade ingredients. Some consumers perceive these products as natural since they are certified and often marketed on their Fair Trade (natural) ingredients.

The study went on to show that many certified Fair Trade cosmetics received low naturalness ratings because of high levels of synthetic ingredients. Organic Monitor calls for Fair Trade certification standards to be tighten so they do not add to consumer confusion of what constitutes natural and organic cosmetics.

According to the study’s findings, the level of naturalness of brands varies considerably between geographic regions. European brands, partly because of the high adoption rates of natural and organic standards, score highest. North American brands are the second most natural, and whilst brands in other regions generally receive lower ratings. Although a growing number of Asian and Latin American brands are emphasizing their natural – and in many cases, indigenous – ingredients, the formulations are usually high in synthetic preservatives, emulsifiers and other ingredients.

The NPA’s natural standard for personal care products covers both products and ingredients. Last year, NPA launched the Natural Standard for Home Care products whereby it also provides natural certification to household products, such as cleaning supplies.

The Natural Seal program aims to help consumers identify what products are truly natural. All products labeled with the NPA Natural Seal logo have met strict ingredient and processing requirements.

According to NPA, 63 companies have certified a total of 472 products and 233 ingredients. Products bearing the Natural Seal can be found in 85,000 stores across the U.S.

“In just over three years, NPA has certified more than 700 products and ingredients under the NPA Natural Seal, helping consumers across the nation find natural products at their favorite stores,” said John Gay, NPA executive director and CEO. “Both large and small businesses have earned the coveted Natural Seal.”

In order to be certified natural by NPA, products and ingredients must be audited and verified by an independent third party in accordance with the Natural Seal standards. One such requirement set by the Natural Seal program is all ingredients used must come from a source found in nature and processed within the list of allowed processes. Furthermore, certified products must list all ingredients on the package label, and personal care fragrances must be 100 percent natural.

Bionée’s line of eight products are divided into three categories: pregnancy (includes acne and anti-stretch mark lotion), motherhood (includes a body toning lotion and nipple soothing remedy), and baby (includes protective body lotion and cleanser).

Bionée founder, Eva Asmar, started the company in France after the birth of her child, and now operates out of New York. Before starting Bionée, Asmar was a product manager at The Body Shop, as well as marketing for brands such as L’Oréal, Lancôme, and Yves Rocher.

Certified Organic & Safe for Pregnancy

Asmar stresses the importance of ingredient quality and natural origin when creating products for pregnant women and children.  Bionée products are certified organic by Ecocert, a French based personal care product certification agency. Additionally, the products have received an official safety statement for pregnancy and baby.

The maternity skin care products are based on safety and efficiency, while supporting fair trade and the environment. According to Asmar, Bionée products contain 82% organic ingredients, and are just shy of 100% natural.

Bionée products have been tested for non-mutagenicity and reprotoxicity in order to claim ‘suitable for newborns’ and ‘safe for pregnancy.’  None of their ingredients contain links to birth defects.

According to Asmar, the current organic pregnancy skin care market is rather small, with only a few large brands operating in the market segment. Asmar believes that Bionée’s target market is a $700 million to $1 billion segment that sells natural products in the U.S.

Bionée  plans to sell products through direct distribution by recruiting mothers who like the product and want to sell it. By utilizing a direct marketing strategy, Bionée products will be available worldwide and sold online.

Although the final sale amount was undisclosed, the deal will expand the Unipex product line and aligns with its corporate vision, as well as provide greater formulation support and resources worldwide.

Headquartered in Paris, France, Lucas Meyer Cosmetics is a relatively small supplier with 20 employees and specializes in providing phospholipids. Also know as polar lipids, phospholipids are made from oil seeds and other natural sources.

These natural functional ingredients act as surfactants that help stabilize creams and lotions, thereby providing hydrating and restructuring properties. Lucas Meyers Cosmetics provides customers with innovative functional ingredients specific to their formulation and development process, which in turn has helped the company generate substantial revenue and profit growth in recent years.

“We will now have a wider offering of sophisticated and highly innovative products and services for our customers worldwide, widening our portfolio of active ingredients, delivery systems, and natural functional ingredients to name a few,” siad Patrice Barthelmes, CEO of Unipex.

“We also combine both the expertise and scientific knowledge from Unipex, which relate to peptides and biotech actives, and from Lucas Meyer Cosmetics, which relate to functional ingredients and phospholipids, to improve our ideation and innovation processes.”

With Unipex’s global presence and Lucas Meyer Cosmetics’ strength in the European market, the new acquisition will help improve Unipex’s worldwide reach, as well as expand its product portfolio.

According to Nutrawise, the leadership team is comprised of natural product industry veterans and is led by Founder and CEO, Darren Rude. Prior to starting Nutrawise, Rude served as executive vice president for the NeoCell Coporation, a natural supplement and skin care company.

Nutrawise health and beauty supplements can be found in stores across the country. The company expects to expand into Europe and Asia in coming months.

Beyond manufacturing nutraceuticals, Nutrawise is preparing to launch their own brand of natural beauty and wellness supplements, Youtheory. No launch date has been set.

Nutrawise claims that their new manufacturing facility exceeds cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) standards. The standards are set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requiring manufacturers, processors and packagers to take proactive steps to ensure their products are safe, pure and effective.

Today, Nutrawise is a top distributor of the NeoCell family of products found at stores like Costco, Sam’s Club and Walmart.

The global summit focuses on the natural and organic beauty industry and aims to help establish products in the region.

According to Organic Monitor, research shows Asia is lagging in terms of production and consumption of natural and organic beauty products. Asia is a leading supplier of natural and organic ingredients, yet the continent has very few companies which manufacture and market natural and organic cosmetics. American and European companies have subsequently entered the market to meet consumer demand.

Organic Monitor believes that the Asian market is falling behind in terms of natural and organic cosmetic production due to the lack of technical known-how and expertise in green formulations. To address this, the summit will cover formulation issues associated with natural and organic cosmetic, as well as review the natural alternatives to synthetic chemicals like parabens, phthalates, SLS / SLES, etc.  Furthermore, the summit will review leading natural and organic standards.

The event will also focus on business openings and marketing challenges while highlighting some of the major marketing and distribution obstacles to growth in the Asian market. Market data and key developments in the natural and organic industry will be discussed.  The best practices from leading companies in Europe and North America will be used to provide insight into how to communicate product features to consumers.

The summit will hold multiple seminars with topics including: leading Asian brands in the naturals arena, how to target Chinese consumers, and selecting natural and organic beauty products for retail stores. Also, ayurveda, an ancient Indian philosophy, will be discussed on how it is permeating into natural cosmetics. GfK will share its research on green consumers in Asia and provide insights into buyer behaviour, motives and attitudes towards natural & sustainable products.

Mr. Amarjit Sahota, founder and president of Organic Monitor, comments “natural, organic and sustainability are becoming an integral part of the beauty industry in the western word. We are taking the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit to Asia to show sustainable development should not be confined by geographical boundaries.”

The Sustainable Cosmetics Summit has previously been held in North America and Europe. The upcoming summit in Asia will be the 5^th edition of the international series of events. Registration is required before Aug. 15^th.  For more information visit: http://sustainablecosmeticssummit.com

The NSF/ANSI 305 Standard for Personal Care Products Containing Organic Ingredients defines labeling and marketing requirements. The following passage is taken from the NSF Web site:

The voluntary standard allows the “contains organic ingredients” designation for products with organic content of 70 percent (O70) or more that comply with all other requirements of the standard. To consider the intricacies of personal care product formulations and eliminate consumer confusion, the NSF standard is designed only for “contains organic ingredients” claims and allows for limited chemical processes that are typical for personal care products but would not be allowed for food products. NSF/ANSI 305 also requires companies to state the exact percentage of organic content based on the requirements of the standard.

According to Hain Celestial, the organic ingredients used in the company’s products are certified by organizations including Quality Assurance International (QAI), Oregon Tilth, and EcoCert.

“We continually review our personal care product formulations and standards,” said Irwin D. Simon, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hain Celestial. “To meet the expectations of our loyal consumers, we are proud to announce that we have adopted the NSF/ANSI 305 ‘made with organic’ standard across our Avalon Organics® and Earth’s Best Organic® personal care brands. We are currently in the process of certification and labeling transition. These changes affect all production as of November, 2011.”

NSF/ANSI 305 ‘made with organic’ certification process requires companies to meet the 70% organic ingredient level, in addition to completing an on-site inspection and technical review. “Testing is not required to determine whether a product is organic or meets this standard, as the organic claim is a process claim, not a product claim,” states NSF.

The company’s announcement of the NSF/ANSI 305 ‘made with organic’ certification follows recent allegations that Hain Celestial mislabels their products. Last month, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), a California based environmental watchdog, named Hain Celestial in a lawsuit accusing personal care brands of mislabeling their products with false organic claims. One product identified was Baby Avalon Organics Silky Cornstarch Baby Powder.

Avalon Organics production changes, according to the NSF/ANSI 305 ‘made with organic’ standards, will take effect as of November 2011. It is unclear whether or not the announcement was made in response to the lawsuit.

Hain Celestial maintains that JASON®, Zia® natural skincare, and Alba Botanica® have also updated their packaging to identify specific ingredients as organic on the products’ ingredient lists. These changes have affected all production as of June, 2011.

Vitamin E occurs naturally in eight different forms and is abundant in the American diet, as well as sold as a nutritional supplement. The new finding could prove that TCT could be more effective in preventing stroke damage than other drugs, according to Ohio State University scientists.

When TCT is taken orally it influences the production of a protein called MRP1 which clears away a compound that can cause toxicity and cell death as a result of the trauma of blocked blood flow associated with a stroke.

“This is one of the first studies to provide evidence that a safe nutrient – a vitamin – can alter microRNA biology to produce a favorable disease outcome,” said Chandan Sen, professor and vice chair for research in Ohio State’s Department of Surgery and senior author of the study. “Here, a natural nutritional product is simultaneously acting on multiple targets to help prevent stroke-induced brain damage. That is a gifted molecule.”

To date, no tests have been performed on humans, but over the past decade numerous studies have shown very favorable results on how the TCT form of vitamin E protects the brain against stroke damage in animal and cell models.

Stroke is the 3^rd leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Stroke Association. Even though clinical trials have not taken place, TCT is set to be used as a preventive nutritional countermeasure for people at high risk for stroke.

So far the natural vitamin has only been studied via oral tests. It remains to be known what sort of preventive effects TCT will have via topical application, such as being used in product formulations like creams or lotions. Regardless if the vitamin is slated for oral use only, it is nonetheless a huge finding in the world of natural ingredients.