Your body is your temple, and you want to take care of it. Yes, you may enjoy the occasional BigMac, but by and large you are focused on making sure that what goes in and on your body is beneficial, and not harmful.
You look for natural and organic food and body care products, but let’s be honest, you don’t even know what those terms really mean! Well, you’re not alone. It’s difficult to understand, even for people in this industry. Well, we’re here to help.
Get Educated
One of the first steps to making wise choices about your body is learning what labeling claims actually mean.
Certified Organic
The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the term “organic” as it applies to agricultural products. When a label says USDA Certified Organic, it means a third party inspector has certified the product and confirms a certain standard, such as no genetically engineered ingredients, or produced without toxic synthetic fertilizers among other things. If certified, there are four organic labeling categories:
- “100% Organic” means that all of the ingredients are organic, and the product may display the USDA Organic Seal.
- “Organic” means that at least 95% of the ingredients are
- “Made with Organic Ingredients” means at least 70 percent of the ingredients are organic. Products cannot show the USDA Organic Seal.
- Products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients, cannot use the term on their main display panel, but can identify the specific organic ingredient on the information panel.
Natural
The use of the terms “natural” or “all natural” on products is much less regulated. Generally, it can mean the product contains no artificial ingredients and is minimally processed.
Things to Look Out For
Because “natural” claims are not heavily regulated by the FDA or USDA, it is important to use caution when choosing products that say they are natural.
Some harsh chemicals are technically “natural”, but that doesn’t mean you should put them on your skin!
If you are purchasing a body care product and it boasts that it is “all natural,” go ahead and dig a little deeper. Look at the ingredient list and see what is included.
See an ingredient that you don’t recognize? There’s a solution for that!
The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment, has a portion of their website titled Skin Deep, which says its mission is to give people practical solutions to protect themselves and their families from everyday exposures to chemicals.
If you go to EWG’s Skin Deep site, and search for the ingredient in question, you will find a page that breaks down how hazardous the ingredient is, as well as what makes it hazardous, how toxic it is, and much more.
You can even search the site for a full product name and it will deliver a comprehensive examination of that product and how dangerous it is to use. This will work for many large skin care brands, but may not work for smaller companies. But, you can still search for individual ingredients.
Rocket Pure – Natural Body Care for Athletes
Since you now understand that natural can mean different things to different companies, it’s important that you understand what natural means to Rocket Pure. At Rocket Pure, we define natural as being minimally processed with no artificial ingredients. We produce our products from nature, which means our ingredients are derived from plants and minerals.
So why isn’t Rocket Pure organic? Some of our ingredients actually are organic! But we’ve found that by using all natural ingredients we are able to offer great, healthy, quality products at a price point that is a little easier on your wallet. We never use harsh or suspect chemicals such as parabens, sulphates, synthetic fragrances, dyes or genetically modified ingredients. Our products are also never tested on animals.
Feel free to search the Skin Deep site for any of our ingredients and you will be happy with what you find. And, of course, you can always send us a note if you have any questions. We’re a small family-owned company, and customer service and complete transparency are our top priorities.
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