Pure appeal: organic skincare products help keep your body free of pesticides and preservatives

ONE OF the great things about biting into an organic apple is the certainty that the fruit you're eating is free of wax and pesticides. Organically grown botanicals in skincare and hair products offer the same certainty--that you're treating yourself to a chemical-free experience.

"What goes on your skin winds up in your body," says Jeanette Graf, M.D., a dermatologist in Great Neck, N.Y., and author of Stop Aging, Start Living (Crown, 2007). Unlike conventional skincare products--which may contain preservatives like parabens (shown in some studies to cause reproductive damage in laboratory animals) and synthetic insecticides and herbicides--products that carry a USDA-certified organic label guarantee that some or all the ingredients were grown without the use of pesticides, genetic modification, and irradiation, says Joe Smillie, senior vice president of Quality Assurance International (a USDA-accredited certifying agency). The standards for plants grown for food and those used in cosmetics are the same.

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USDA labels range from "100 percent organic" and "certified organic" (made with 95 percent organic ingredients) to "made with organic ingredients" (at least 70 percent organic ingredients). But some products that do not meet USDA standards may use the word "organic" on their labels. To assess the authenticity of such claims, scan the ingredients list to see which ones are certified organic. For example, some of the non-USDA-certified products we've tested contain organic coffee beans, cranberry seeds, adzuki beans, and shea butter.

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Because the USDA requires that organic beauty products contain "food-grade" ingredients, some companies (such as Europe's Ecocert and the Soil Association) choose instead to adhere to organic standards designed for personal care. Ecocert requires that a product contain 95 percent natural ingredients, half of which are organic; for the Soil Association, 70 percent must be organic. No matter what label you wind up supporting, you can be sure that an organic product is always the best choice for the planet.

for your face

THIBIANT COMPLEX ORGANICS FACE SCRUB ($42; thibiantspa.com) exfoliates with organic apricot seeds and calms skin with organic oats--and smells of sweet almond.

SARAH SCOTT VINTAGE RECIPES EVENING EYE CREAM ($38; blabbermouthbeauty.com) moisturizes skin with soothing organic chamomile while you sleep.

CARE BY STELLA MCCARTNEY NOURISHING NIGHT & DAY CREAM ($80; sephora.com) provides a soft protective layer on your skin with two organic oils: cupuacu (a tropical rain forest tree) and Brazil nut.

PANGEA ORGANICS EGYPTIAN GERANIUM WITH ADZUKI BEAN & CRANBERRY FACIAL SCRUB ($33; pangeaorganics.com) sweeps away the dead top layer of skin with organic adzuki beans and cranberry seeds and moisturizes with shea butter and sweet almond oil.

for your body

ORIGINS ORGANICS SILKENING BODY SPRITZ ($25; originsorganics.com) coats the skin with a gentle layer of softening organic oils.

NATURE'S GATE RAINWATER ORGANICS LEMONGRASS SPICE ORGANIC LOTION ($8; natures-gate.com) tones the skin with a delicate blend of organic lemongrass and peppermint,

NATUROPATHICA ESPRESSO MUD BODY SCRUB ($48; naturopathica .com) exfoliates with finely ground organic coffee beans and calms the skin with lobelia (an anti-inflammatory herb).

DR. BRONNER'S ROSE ORGANIC BAR SOAP ($4; drbronner.com) is an organic classic with moisturizing olive and jojoba oils.

for hair

PALMER'S OLIVE OIL FORMULA WITH VITAMIN E REPLENISHING CONDITIONER drugstores) penetrates the hair's cuticle with organic extra-virgin olive oil, keeping it moisturized and healthy.

MAX GREEN ALCHEMY SCALP RESCUE POMADE ($17.50; maxgreenalchemy.com) conditions your hair and scalp with organic shea butter and olive, jojoba, and coconut oils.

AVEDA SMOOTH INFUSION STYLE-PREP SMOOTHER ($24; aveda.com) helps repair damaged hair with a blend of organic aloe, maize, and guar bean, which smooths the hair's cuticle and restores shine.

MOP LEMONGRASS SHAMPOO ($11.50; ulta.com) has organic lemongrass and calendula to plump fine or limp hair.

Photography by RITA MAAS

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