The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not define or regulate the term “organic,” as it applies to cosmetics, body care, or personal care products.
USDA regulates the term “organic” as it applies to agricultural products through its National Organic Program (NOP) regulation, 7 CFR Part 205.
If a cosmetic, body care product, or personal care product contains or is made up of agricultural ingredients, and can meet the USDA/NOP organic production, handling, processing and labeling standards, it may be eligible to be certifi ed under the NOP regulations.
The operations which produce the organic agricultural ingredients, the handlers of these agricultural ingredients, and the manufacturer of the fi nal product must all be certifi ed by a USDA-accredited organic certifying agent.
Once certified, cosmetics, personal care products, and body care products are eligible for the same 4 organic labeling categories as all other agricultural products, based on their organic content and other factors.