Organic Monitor focuses first ever US masterclass on greenwashing

14-Jan-2013 - Last updated on 14-Jan-2013 at 16:55 GMT

Related tags Organic personal care Personal care Cosmetics

Organic Monitor is looking to tackle the issue of greenwashing in the American personal care industry with its first ever masterclass dedicated to the topic in California later this month.

The Natural Cosmetics Masterclass aims to deal with issues over formulating natural and organic cosmetics and how these can be labeled and marketed correctly.

In recent years, a number of brands, certification agencies and associations have been involved in high-profile lawsuits concerning natural & organic marketing claims and labeling issues; an issue that Organic Monitor puts down to the low adoption rate of natural and organic personal care standards.

“Although a number of standards have been introduced in the US, the take-up rates remain low. Organic Monitor research finds that less than 10 percent of natural & organic personal care products are certified in North America, compared to over 60 percent in Europe,” says the London-based organization.

“One of the most popular standards is USDA NOP, which is an organic food standard applied to personal care products. There is also interest in the NPA and NSF ANSI 305 standards, however formulation issues are discouraging brands to take the certification route.”

Seminar rundown

The masterclass will kick off with details given of leading American and international standards (USDA NOP, NPA, NSF ANSI 305, COSMOS, Ecocert, Natrue, etc.), and their adoption issues.

The law firm Greenberg Traurig will describe the legislative framework for marketing and labeling of natural and organic personal care products.

Another seminar will highlight the fragrance options for natural and organic personal care products, and ends with Organic Monitor giving an update on the global market for natural and organic cosmetics, highlighting future trends and business openings.

Judi Beerling, Technical Research Manager at Organic Monitor, will also host an interactive workshop in the afternoon session focused on the major formulation issues associated with pure natural and organic personal care products.

The Natural Cosmetics Masterclass will take place at the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco on 24th January. More details are available here.