Natural & Organic Body Care Products Market Expanding

The Indianapolis Star
September 5, 2004

Approaching beauty naturally:
More people are using organic cosmetic products because they say they're
gentle on the skin and the environment.

By T.J. BANES <tj.baines@indystar.com>

Patrease Woodside, 25, recently hauled three 5-gallon buckets of organic
milk up three flights of stairs and enjoyed a long soak in her apartment
bathtub. Co-workers at Traders Point Creamery laughed at Woodside, but she
enjoyed the experience so much that the next day she repeated the process
with whey, the watery byproduct of the creamery's cheese-making process.

"I do so much reading on health and beauty products that I thought I'd try a
milk bath," said Woodside, a Northside resident and recent Purdue University
graduate in agricultural economics. "It made my skin and hair very soft.
After eating so much junk and fast food in college, I was ready to get back
to a healthy lifestyle."

Woodside joins a growing number of Amer icans using organic face and body
products. Some, like Woodside, use the all-natural products to help clear up
their skin; others favor them to protect the environment from chemical
additives found in over-the-counter cosmetics.

Of the estimated $6.25 billion spent on cosmetics in the United States
annually, $190 million is spent on natural and organic products.

Sarah Brown, 28, the mother of four, began making organic lip balm two years
ago. Once she learned that the three basic ingredients in the balm --
butter, oil and bee's wax -- could be used in other body products, she
expanded her line to include a healing salve with Vitamin E and lanolin and
a line of baby products with the mild additive calendula. She also makes
soap from goat's milk and bath salts with imported sea salt . She sells them
from a shop in her Fortville home.

"I just want everything pure and genuine for my family. I support organic
farming," said Brown, as she recently measured and mixed salve ingredients
at her home. "This is my own recipe, and I'll never make the same recipe
again. That would be boring."

She buys her ingredients in bulk at health-food stores and through Internet
suppliers.

With the help of her 3-year-old daughter, Estera, Brown added seasonal herbs
for their aroma and soothing effects.

Lavender and chamomile are known to help with relaxation and sleep,
spearmint calms an upset stomach, and comfrey heals bumps, scrapes and
rashes, said Brown, who teaches soap-making classes through the IUPUI
continuing education series. She also adds coffee, lemon and green tea to
her products for the natural aromas.

"My favorite ingredients are coconut oil, almond oil and cocoa butter," said
Brown. "They are so enriching for the skin."

Soothing properties, rich aromas and familiar ingredients are part of the
widespread appeal of natural body products.

"The word 'organic' is getting out there. The Internet has helped unite
people from the farthest corners of the country to protect our waterways,
and the health of our children," said Diana Kaye, co-owner of
Terressentials, a line of organic body products manufactured on a
Middletown, Md.. farm, near Washington, D.C.

Kaye and her husband, James Hahn, purchased the farm in 1996 and sell their
products worldwide via the Internet. She estimates their business has grown
by 30 percent in the past five years.

In small quantities

Typically, organic products made in small quantities by home-based
businesses are slightly higher-priced than those mass-produced and sold
through health-food stores. The latter are comparable in price to
non-organic skin-care products sold at department store cosmetic counters.

"It's like anything else, if you shop you can find a product that works for
you and is affordable," said Woodside, who looks for products labeled
"certified organic ingredients."

While the USDA certifies the ingredients, it does not certify skin-care
products as a whole. This year, the Little Marais, Md.-based Organic
Consumers Association kicked off a "Coming Clean" campaign that sought
unsuccessfully to have the USDA issue standards for organic body-care
products that mirror the standards for organic food.

Those standards stipulate that 70 percent of the ingredients in edibles be
purely organic -- those farmed without the use of pesticides.

Products labeled "natural" sometimes have preservatives added to them to
give them a longer shelf life. Purely organic products are made of "living"
(unprocessed) ingredients and should be refrigerated or frozen to extend
their usefulness.

"The word 'natural' is kind of a joke," said David Bronner, heir to Dr.
Bronner's Soaps, an Escondido, Ca., company, founded in the late 1940s by
his grandfather, the late Emanuel Bronner, a third-generation master
soap-maker from an orthodox Jewish family in Heilbron, Germany.

"There are all kinds of natural products that are full of chemicals," added
Bronner, who said his company, which manufactures pure-castile soaps, has
grown 10 to 20 percent a year. The soaps are available locally through Wild
Oats Natural Marketplace and Trader Joe's.

"Our customers are people who are driven for social justice, environmental
concerns and health. They range from young to old, who want simplicity,"
said Bronner.

Many people change to organic products hoping to find relief from acne or
other skin problems.

Lillian Newman, 43, of Noblesville, made her first batch of organic soap in
1998 after suffering for years from dry and cracking skin. It took a year
for her to perfect the blend, using sodium hydroxide (lye).

"I always say it's like a coed dance. You have to have more girls than boys
to have a balance. When you make soap, you must have at least five percent
more fat than sodium hydroxide in the recipe," said Newman, who sells her
soaps and lotions at the Farmers Market, and the Picket Fence in
Noblesville.

Conventional store-bought soaps contain tallow, a beef fat that can coat the
skin, causing pores to clog, said Newman. "I can tell you people say their
skin feels softer when they use organic soaps, but I can't tell you that
organic body products get rid of pimples. Saying that makes it a drug."

Read the labels

The Organic Consumer Association, which fosters self-regulation, encourages
buyers interested in organic products to read labels in order to avoid
"half-natural" hair and skin products.

"There are literally thousands of skin-care products both organic and
conventional. The majority are generally OK. They have dermatologists on
staff that test their cosmetics." said Karl Siebe, a dermatologist with
Noblesville Dermatology. "I tell patients that if they like what it does for
their skin, then use it."

For Woodside, taking a bath in organic milk and purchasing other organic
body products is a way of returning to her youth.

"I'm the oldest of seven children. We ate and canned from our garden. There
were no chemicals," said Woodside. "I never considered myself raised on an
organic diet. It wasn't called that.

"It was just food, but it was home-cooked, natural and healthy. What I put
on my skin is just like what I put in my body. I want it to be healthy."

Call Star reporter T.J. Banes at (317) 444-6815.

WHERE YOU CAN SHOP FOR ORGANIC GOODIES

* Fragrant Blossom Soaps by Lillian Newman are available at the Noblesville
Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon, Saturdays through Oct. 16, or at The Picket
Fence, 937 Logan St., Noblesville.

* Sarah Brown's products are available at Simpler Times, 225 N. Main St.,
Fortville.

* Kiss My Face Products, Dr. Bronner's Soaps, Burt's Bees and Avalon Organic
Products are available at Trader Joe's, 5473 E. 82nd St and 2902 W. 86th
St., and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, 1300 E. 86th St.

* Terressentials products, Middletown, Md., are available online at
www.terressentials.com.

THE VALUE OF HERBS: WHAT THEY ARE, WHAT THEY DO

For years, naturalists have turned to herbs for their rich aroma and healing
powers. Here are popular herbs and their benefits:

Lavender: Calms tension, relaxes muscles, enhances mood.

Lemongrass: Promotes restful sleep, reduces inflammation.

Peppermint: Improves circulation.

Echinacea: Soothes puffy skin.

Rosehip: Moisturizes skin, helps reduce scars and stretch marks.

Eucalyptus: Lessens pain.

Calendula: Reduces inflammation, heals wounds.

Comfrey: Moisturizes, sooths skin.

Source: Peaceful Mind Alternative Medicine and Therapies