Saltspring Blog ORGANIC

BEYOND ORGANIC! April 2008

Hi...I'm back......I've been away ...hiking and shopping near Palm Springs.....SHOPPING!!!!???? Yes, that's right, SHOPPING! So, what's new? Well, NOT organic. Organic.... isn't. What happened to organic? We finally realized that skin and body care could be pure, fresh and wholesome.....just like our food. But, like our food...when the demand for organic skin care hit "the tipping point" and everyone wanted it....it became just a commodity. Now, the the big boxes have 'organic' skin and body care. Yesterday, I read that four of the largest organic lines in the U.S. and Canada have toxic ingredients. Oh yes, there are a few % organic oils and botanicals..... .but as the demand for organic has grown....the market is now big enough for the big players......

So, what's next?? I like the idea of Mike Indursky of Burt's Bees. Well, I did hear that Clorox Corp bought them for $800,000,000.00 but he has the right idea, and it's "Natural." (by the way...Saltspring Soapworks is still owned by....me.) Mike is lobbying "for a bill that would develop an industry standard for the word "natural" in personal care products, and require products labeled "natural" to be at least 95% natural, meaning they should not have parabens, synthetic preservatives, sulfates, animal products or anything with suspected potential human health risks." This sounds good to me.

Where does that leave "organic??" Wish Magazine, in their April issue concluded "products may call themselves "organic" when in fact, they aren't. In the long run, it may prove to be the smart way to go....for now, buy organics from a brand you trust - and always check the label." At the Soapworks....our handmade soaps are made from food-grade oils which will soon be totally organic; palm, coconut, olive and soy. We use pure essential oils, which will be organic when possible.

As more people are willing to pay a premium for these oils...they may become more available and less expensive. Our body care products are already "natural" and while they do not meet Mike's criteria 100%, we are working on it. Also, I feel the "next big thing," as with our food, is.....LOCAL! Yes, you want to buy a head of lettuce grown in your area.....that's fresh and local, hopefully organic and not flown 2500 miles from Chile. And you want your body care to be fresh and local....hopefully organic, too. Gary still makes our artisan soaps by hand in small batches, not 600,000 per day! Our body care products are made in batches of 400, not 100,000! And Claire is still making each bath balm by hand....you can see her little fingerprints....and no line where a machine stuck it together!

A recent interviewer asked us what our plans for expansion were.....I said our goal isn't "expansion" but making our products as pure and clean as we possibly can. We'll keep you posted on our progress...and meanwhile...read those labels! Want to pay $5 more for "organic" water in your shampoo??

Linda Quiring,

Salt Spring Island