Organic cosmetics such as lotions, oils, shampoos, soaps and makeup have natural ingredients that are allegedly free of pesticides. For example, the fruit and flowers that comprise the ingredients in shampoo, such as berries, shea and other plant-based products, must be grown and harvested as organic food is. A label can boast that the product is “made with organic ingredients” if 70 percent of the ingredients used are grown and harvested organically. However, many cosmetics that claim to be organic may not live up to that 70 percent rule. In fact, the Center for Environmental Health filed a lawsuit against 26 leading organic cosmetic companies for making false claims on their labeling. In May 2011, the center sued Hain Celestial, the company behind such big organic brand names as Jason and Avalon.

In June 2011, the center took on other popular companies such as Kiss My Face and Alliance Boots. Executive Director Michael Green claimed that a random selection of the products purchased did not reflect the 70 percent rule. However, don’t count on your supposedly organic cosmetics to be completely organic, unless it boasts that USDA certified organic logo. Is the label – and sometimes hefty price tag – worth seeking? If you’re interested in more environmentally friendly products that aren’t made with pesticides, then yes. But keep in mind that the rest of the ingredients could be the same chemicals that go into conventional cosmetics. So should you ditch the organic products? Not necessarily. If your skin is very sensitive or you have allergies that cause you to break out, then a higher concentration of natural products is probably good for you.