The Company: Avalon Organics
What’s Organic? Products contain organic essential oils, plant oils and herbal extracts certified by Quality Assurance International, BioAgriCert, Oregon Tilth, Pro-Cert Organic Systems, BCS Öko-Garamtie, Instituto Biodinâmico, GOCA, or International Certification Services.
Avalon Organics’ brand manager Christa Skov points to the company’s “Consciousness in Cosmetics” pledge when she’s asked how the company supports the organic movement.
“We have a strong commitment to organic agriculture, and whenever we can, we use organic ingredients and list them on the back of our packaging,” says Skov, who also acknowledges the company does not have the USDA organic seal (again, since it is not based on a personal care standard, but a food standard) or require a specific percentage of organic ingredients in its products.
Still, Avalon’s products exclude many ingredients it considers harsh—such as parabens, mineral oil, artificial colors and fragrances—while also following strict European standards. The company’s website discloses all product ingredients and touts third-party organic certifications it has obtained for select ingredients.
Skov’s Actionable Advice: “Spend time to research companies and understand what their platforms are. Become more aware of what you’re doing instead of walking through life and using whatever you think looks good. It’s about making a conscious effort to be healthy, whether you’re choosing to eat organic foods or use organic products.”
The Company: Hamadi
What’s Organic? Products contain essential oils and plant extracts; company expects to receive certification this summer by European Union’s Ecocert.
Jamal Hammadi’s frustration with his thin, curly hair ultimately served as inspiration for starting his own product line, which bears his name (although his company name is spelled slightly different).
“When I was growing up, curly was not cool,” says Hammadi, also a celebrity stylist. “I always had to blow it out and I was sick of it.”
He began experimenting with shea butter and essential oils and his successful concoctions morphed into a line of hair care products. Although his products contain no artificial colors or artificial fragrances, Hammadi acknowledges his line is not 100 percent organic.
“Our only organic ingredients are essentials oils, our other ingredients are derived from plant extracts,” says Hammadi, noting that each organic ingredient is marked with an asterisk on each product label.
The company is also in the process of adding more organic ingredients to its shampoos and expects to be certified this summer by the Ecocert program.
