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Certified Organic Sunscreen

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A Certified Organic Sunscreen[1], also known as Petrochemical-Free Sunscreen, is a third party certified[2] sunscreen product consisting of certified and approved organic ingredients, with typically zinc oxide acting as the photo-protector. An organic sunscreen is verified and approved by a certifier to international or national organic standards, such as NSF/ANSI 305 and USDA organic, which define production and labelling requirements for personal care products containing organic ingredients.[3][4] These standards are complemented by existing sunscreen regulatory bodies such as the FDA that regulate the efficacy of the sunscreen, safety and permitted ingredients. Generally speaking, sunscreen has photo-protective properties that reduce the risk of skin cancer and ageing with relation to the SPF value and proper application.[5][6]

Certified organic sunscreen is part of a broader trend towards certified organic cosmetics[7] and certified natural cosmetics.[8] Especially in the sunscreen market, developers have been 'pushed'[3] towards alternatives to petrochemical UV filters due to their lack of safety data[9] and their detrimental ecological effects,[3] which has resulted in various petrochemical UV filters being banned in different countries and ecological areas.[10]

Organisations that manage standards and certifiers generally provide allowances for natural ingredients, such as water, as well as minerals such zinc oxide and titanium dioxide towards their organic calculation[11][12] as they have photo-protective properties and a well regarded safety profile.[3]

Certified Organic refers to the processing and production of a personal care product without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, petrochemicals, aromatic hydrocarbons and other contaminants or practices.[13][1] Petrochemical suppliers may promote their ingredients as organic compounds; however, it is essential not to confuse this with the term "organic" or "certified organic". In this context, "organic compounds" simply means that the substances are derived from petroleum sources. Marketing products under organic is protected by consumer commissions such as the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission and other national bodies.[1][14][15]

Major standards

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NSF/ANSI 305: Organic Personal Care Products

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Created by Non-For Profit Organization NSF, it is a standard designed for products intended for external use on any part of the body.[16] This specific standard allows using the "contains organic ingredients" label for products containing at least 70% organic ingredients.[16]

USDA National Organic Program (NOP)

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Source:[17]

Due to the fact that the FDA does not define or regulate the term “organic” in personal care products, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken responsibility. The USDA has been regulating organic cosmetics and personal care products since 2001, under the National Organic Program.[18] Unlike personal care products, sunscreen is regulated by the FDA as an OTC drug and thus has a GRASE monograph, so it is possible that the FDA may expand its role in regulating organic sunscreen in the future. Currently, only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide have been determined by the FDA to be generally recognised as safe and effective (GRASE).[9]

ISO 16128: Natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products

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The ISO 16128 is a guideline defined by the International Organization for Standardization which establishes how to numerically determine the degree of natural and organic origin of a product based on the single ingredients which compose its formulation. The ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organisation with a membership of 169 national standards bodies.[19] The ISO:16128 standard aims to contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 12[20][21]

Ecocert Cosmos Organic

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The Cosmos Natural and Organic standard was established in 2002, and is the first voluntary standard harmonized at the European level.[3] COSMOS standard prohibits petrochemical UV filters in cosmetic product. The standards permit the utilization of minerals such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, contingent upon their acquisition via meticulously defined industrial processes, owing to their lack of agricultural origins.[3] It does not calculate natural minerals, such as zinc oxide, towards the organic percentage of a product, as the standard was heavily adapted off of existing organic agricultural standards.[clarification needed][22][2][23]

Natrue

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Natrue was created in 2007. The first Natrue labelled product launched in 2009. There are now over 7,000 Natrue certified products.[24] The standard is for natural and organic cosmetics.

Green approved list of ingredient for certified organic sunscreens

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Certified organic sunscreens or products must comply with certifiers 'green list' of ingredients that are considered safe and represent their organic standard.[25] Ingredients that are not permitted generally include: silicones, parabens, microplastics, synthetic fragrances, synthetic colorants, petrochemicals and certain preservatives such as phenoxyethanol.[25][26] As well as contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, PCBs, radiation,[27] mycotoxins, nitrates, nitrosamines.[13]

Certified organic production practices

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Major organic certifiers prohibit animal testing for the product to carry their label[28] and European certifiers generally require the ingredients to be non-GMO.[25][26] Organic certifiers do not allow the use of synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilisers in the production of certified organic ingredients.[13] Cross contamination[29] has been citied as a major cause of benzene contamination in sunscreens, and organic production practices typically prohibit this practice by requiring organic only production facilities.[30] Reported[31] cases of benzene contamination[32] have resulted in sunscreen recalls[33] initiated by regulators such as the TGA[34] and FDA or voluntarily by the brand.[35] Other reasons why the contamination likely occurred was the degradation of benzene-based (hydrocarbon) ingredients,[36] such as petrochemical UV filters[37] or from supply chain neglect.[38] Most notably Valisure, an independent Connecticut based laboratory, found benzene contamination in products such as sunscreen, deodorant, and hand sanitiser resulting in over 25 million products being recalled in the US since 2019.[39][clarification needed]

Active ingredients in certified organic sunscreen

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Certified organic and natural UV protectors Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, "TiO2 and ZnO[,] represent the only effective alternatives to ultraviolet (UV) filters of petrochemical origin regarding photoprotection, and they contribute significantly to the safety of consumers who use them."[3]

Ecological advantages of certified organic sunscreen

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Certified Organic Sunscreen bans the use of all petrochemicals active ingredients that are generally regarded as harmful to the environment such as Avobenzone, Oxybenzone, Octinoxate.[40] Avobenzone, for example, is one of the most frequently used UV filters on the market and [41][42] has been shown to cause damage to marine ecosystems such as coral reefs and harm marine life.[43][41][10][44][45] Avobenzone has also been shown to absorb into the bloodstream after application in an FDA funded study.[46] Oxybenzone and Octinoxate were also both banned in Hawaii over studies showing toxicity towards marine life.[47]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Organic claims". Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  2. ^ a b Kramer, Jaclyn (2018). Does Organic Sunscreen Benefit from a Spillover Effect from USDA Organic Food? (Thesis). ProQuest 2193345328.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Tortini, Guido; Ziosi, Paola; Cesa, Elena; Molesini, Sonia; Baldini, Erika; De Lucia, Daniela; Rossi, Caterina; Durini, Elisa; Vertuani, Silvia; Manfredini, Stefano (31 May 2022). "Criticisms in the Development of High-Protection and Broad-Spectrum 'Natural/Organic' Certifiable Sunscreen". Cosmetics. 9 (3): 56. doi:10.3390/cosmetics9030056. hdl:11392/2496193.
  4. ^ "Personal Care Products Containing Organic Ingredients". NSF. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  5. ^ Saraiya, Mona; Glanz, Karen; Briss, Peter; Nichols, Phyllis; White, Cornelia; Das, Debjani (17 October 2003). "Preventing skin cancer: findings of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services On reducing Exposure to Ultraviolet Light". MMWR. Recommendations and Reports. 52 (RR-15): 1–12. PMID 14561953.
  6. ^ Baumann, L (January 2007). "Skin ageing and its treatment". The Journal of Pathology. 211 (2): 241–251. doi:10.1002/path.2098. PMID 17200942. S2CID 30773573.
  7. ^ "Insights on the Natural and Organic Cosmetics $29.9 Billion Global Market to 2027 - Key Drivers, Restraints and Trends". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
  8. ^ Inga, Klimczak (29 December 2021). "25". Written at Poznań, Poland. Current Trends in Quality Science – design, quality and safety of products (PDF). Ministerstwo Edukacji i Nauki: Institute of Quality Science Poznań University of Economics & Business. ISBN 978-83-7789-670-9.
  9. ^ a b "Questions and Answers: FDA posts deemed final order and proposed order for over-the-counter sunscreen". FDA. 2021-11-16.
  10. ^ a b Miller, Ingo B.; Pawlowski, Sascha; Kellermann, Matthias Y.; Petersen-Thiery, Mechtild; Moeller, Mareen; Nietzer, Samuel; Schupp, Peter J. (26 June 2021). "Toxic effects of UV filters from sunscreens on coral reefs revisited: regulatory aspects for 'reef safe' products". Environmental Sciences Europe. 33 (1): 74. doi:10.1186/s12302-021-00515-w. S2CID 235650556.
  11. ^ "The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances | Agricultural Marketing Service". www.ams.usda.gov. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  12. ^ "Unmasking Beauty Tips to Safely Get Your Makeup on Again". NSF. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  13. ^ a b c "COSMOS-standard Cosmetics Organic and Natural Standard Version 3.1 – 1 June 2020" (PDF). Australian Certified Organic.
  14. ^ "Deceptive "certified organic" claims leave consumers verklempt". Federal Trade Commission. 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  15. ^ "USDA Discovers Fraudulent National Organic Program Certificate | Agricultural Marketing Service". www.ams.usda.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  16. ^ a b Organic Personal Care Standards
  17. ^ "United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Marketing Service - National Organic Program- Cosmetics, Body Care Products, and Personal Care Products" (PDF). April 2008.
  18. ^ "Cosmetics, Body Care, and Personal Care Products". Agricultural Marketing Service.
  19. ^ "ISO - About us". ISO. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  20. ^ "ISO 16128-2:2017". ISO. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  21. ^ "ISO 16128-1:2016". ISO. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  22. ^ "COSMOS Position on Mineral UV-Filters in Organic and Natural Cosmetics" (PDF). August 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  23. ^ "Certifications". Ecocert.
  24. ^ "About us". NATRUE. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  25. ^ a b c "The key guarantees of organic and natural cosmetics certification". EcoCert.
  26. ^ a b "What makes the NATRUE Label unique?". NATRUE. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  27. ^ "Food Irradiation". EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 27 November 2018. Irradiated food does not meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture's definition of organic.
  28. ^ "NATRUE - The International Natural and Organic Cosmetics Association" (PDF). Natrue.org. The International Natural and Organic Cosmetics Association - 40 Rue Washington - 2nd Floor - 1050 Brussels, Belgium.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  29. ^ "Multiple Sunscreens Recall - Low levels of benzene detected". Australian Government Therapeutic Goods Administration. Benzene is not an ingredient in sunscreens but can be a contaminant in raw materials used in the manufacturing process.
  30. ^ "Allowed Detergents and Sanitizers for Food Contact Surfaces and Equipment in Organic Operations" (PDF). USDA. The National Organic Program's (NOP) Organic Standards require that an organic handling operation take measures to prevent the commingling of organic and nonorganic products and protect organic products from contact with prohibited substances.
  31. ^ "Valisure Detects High Levels of Known Human Carcinogen Benzene in Several Sunscreen Products and Requests FDA Actions". Valisure (Press release). 25 May 2021.
  32. ^ Edney, Anna (28 May 2021). "Sunscreen With Leukemia-Causing Benzene Is Latest Summer Worry". Bloomberg.
  33. ^ "Google Trends". Google Trends. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  34. ^ "Multiple Sunscreens Recall - Low levels of benzene detected". TGA - Therapeutic Goods Administration - Australia. 4 May 2022.
  35. ^ "P&G Issues Voluntary Recall of Aerosol Dry Conditioner Spray Products and Aerosol Dry Shampoo Spray Products". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  36. ^ Research, Center for Drug Evaluation and (2022-12-23). "FDA alerts drug manufacturers to the risk of benzene contamination in certain drugs". FDA.
  37. ^ Quiñones, Rosalynn; Moreno, Sara; Shoup, Deben; Klein, Mieke; Westfall, Tamara D.; Damai, Aakriti (2021-04-13). "Examining Particle Size of Inorganic Active Ingredients within Sunscreens Using Dynamic Light Scattering". Journal of Chemical Education. 98 (4): 1371–1380. Bibcode:2021JChEd..98.1371Q. doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00939. S2CID 233840875.
  38. ^ Guan, Linna L.; Lim, Henry W.; Mohammad, Tasneem F. (2021-11-01). "Sunscreens and Photoaging: A Review of Current Literature". American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. 22 (6): 819–828. doi:10.1007/s40257-021-00632-5. PMC 8361399. PMID 34387824.
  39. ^ "A Tiny Lab Found Benzene in Sunscreen and Hand Sanitizer. Why Did the FDA Go After It?". Consumer Reports. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  40. ^ "Coral reefs in the French overseas territories: the impact of chemicals is confirmed". Anses - Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail. 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  41. ^ a b Bordalo, Diana; Cuccaro, Alessia; De Marchi, Lucia; Soares, Amadeu M. V. M.; Meucci, Valentina; Battaglia, Federica; Pretti, Carlo; Freitas, Rosa (1 November 2022). "In vitro spermiotoxicity and in vivo adults' biochemical pattern after exposure of the Mediterranean mussel to the sunscreen avobenzone". Environmental Pollution. 312: 119987. Bibcode:2022EPoll.31219987B. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119987. PMID 35995291. S2CID 251696505.
  42. ^ Ouchene, Lydia; Litvinov, Ivan V.; Netchiporouk, Elena (November–December 2019). "Hawaii and Other Jurisdictions Ban Oxybenzone or Octinoxate Sunscreens Based on the Confirmed Adverse Environmental Effects of Sunscreen Ingredients on Aquatic Environments". Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. 23 (6): 648–649. doi:10.1177/1203475419871592. PMID 31729915. S2CID 208034843.
  43. ^ Serpone, Nick (2021-02-01). "Sunscreens and their usefulness: have we made any progress in the last two decades?". Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. 20 (2): 189–244. Bibcode:2021PhPhS..20..189S. doi:10.1007/s43630-021-00013-1. PMID 33721254. S2CID 232244011.
  44. ^ Levine, Arielle (September 2021). "Reducing the prevalence of chemical UV filters from sunscreen in aquatic environments: Regulatory, public awareness, and other considerations". Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. 17 (5): 982–988. Bibcode:2021IEAM...17..982L. doi:10.1002/ieam.4432. PMID 33913613. S2CID 233447788.
  45. ^ "Hawai'i Senate Bill Bans Harmful Sunscreen Chemicals". Center for Biological Diversity. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  46. ^ "Shedding More Light on Sunscreen Absorption". United States Food and Drug Administration. 2022-03-08.
  47. ^ Suh, Susie; Pham, Christine; Smith, Janellen; Mesinkovska, Natasha A. (September 2020). "The banned sunscreen ingredients and their impact on human health: a systematic review". International Journal of Dermatology. 59 (9): 1033–1042. doi:10.1111/ijd.14824. ISSN 0011-9059. PMC 7648445. PMID 32108942.
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