Natural Health and Beauty Products Buying Guide

When you've decided to live a more natural lifestyle, one of the best places to start is with natural health and beauty supplies. However, you may have questions about what makes a product natural or why it is considered organic. This natural health and beauty products buying guide will tell you what you need to know, so you can figure out how to buy natural health and beauty products and start living green.

How do you know if a product really is natural or organic? First, look for reliable certification. If a product is certified as natural or organic by a trusted organization, you can rest assured that it truly is. In order to qualify for Overstock.com's natural health and beauty store, products must not use any ingredients that are potentially toxic or suspected of carcinogenic (cancer-causing) effects and must meet one of these following criteria:

1. Certified USDA organic: In order for a health or beauty product to be certified organic by the United Stated Department of Agriculture, at least 95 percent of the ingredients must meet the same stringent standards for farming, production and handling that organic food must meet.

2. At least 95 percent natural: Products containing 95 percent natural ingredients or ingredients derived from natural sources qualify as "natural." (The other 5 percent is generally made up of ingredients that keep the product fresh while it is shipped to you and that keep it fresh while it's in your medicine cabinet.)

3. The Natural Standard: Products that meet the Natural Standard, as defined by the Natural Products Association and leading natural product companies, are made mainly with natural ingredients, contain no ingredients that may have suspected health risks, have not been tested on animals and use environmentally sensitive packaging.

4. BDIH certification: BDIH, a German association that developed guidelines for certified natural cosmetics in Europe, defines natural products as those with high-quality plant-based ingredients and no synthetic colors or fragrances, no silicones, no paraffin and no petroleum products.

5. EKO organic mark: To get the EKO organic mark, products must be made with 95 percent organic ingredients and without any ingredients that have been genetically modified or radioactively irradiated.

1. Our commitment: Overstock.com is committed to helping our customers make sound lifestyle choices. All products in the health and beauty store's natural and organic department undergo screening by one of the most rigorous standards among large, national retailers today.

Buy Natural and Organic Beauty Products
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