We see it everywhere. Our friends going green. The local dry cleaner going green. Celebrities going green. Even some unlikely converts…oil companies going green? Really? What’s next, the coal industry goes green? Actually, there is the clean coal campaign…

It’s a great thing to see a trend toward something positive. It’s empowering that we can make dirty companies do their best to look clean and green. But it’s crucial that the movement doesn’t let up. And it’s important to be sure that clean and green is more than a tagline.

Quotes like (do your best Pepe Le Pew accent for this) “If the consumer wants organic products, we will give them organic products…” leave one to wonder how deep the commitment lies.

Are these companies that are built on sustainable, green principles? Who knows. But we say keep up the pressure. Use your purchasing power. Eventually, sustainable, responsible corporate practices will be the normal course of business. Some day, it’ll be “we give them organic because it’s better for people and better for the planet.”

It’s easy to trumpet a couple of fancy naturals or organics, while packing a product with the same old chemicals. Sana is different. It wasn’t born on Madison Avenue or cooked up in a vat in New Jersey. Why? Because it’s important to us, and we figure it’s important to you, that products are safe and healthy, top to bottom. Between bio-accumulation, slippery labeling, and the lack of adequate research regarding certain technologies or synthetics, deciding to find a way to remove all synthetics was not a tough call.

But what about that extra step from natural to organic. Necessary, or just branding?

Let’s look at the four legs of the table (we love our food imagery!):

Safety: In order to be certified organic by the USDA, an ingredient must comply with a whole range of safety and sustainability standards far above conventional standards. Common pesticides with documented toxic or carcinogenic properties frequently make their way into our food and personal care products. A recent study showed the average baby has over 200 industrial synthetics in their system at birth. Even where present in trace amounts, many of these pesticides bio-accumulate , meaning they can add up to cause more serious problems. Organic ingredients are, by definition, produced without dangerous pesticides.

Quality: Greater care is taken in organic farming and it generally shows in the quality. There is not a separate certification process for skin care, so in order to be used in Sana’s products, ingredients must meet food grade organic quality. Which, frankly, is how it should be. Skin care and food both become part of you!

Environment: Organics are grown in a far more environmentally friendly manner. Agro-business is a major contributor to soil, water and air contamination, as well as to global warming. Studies have shown people growing up near agro-farms have far greater concentrations of toxic industrial synthetics. The energy used to produce pesticides and conduct large scale conventional farming consumes as much energy each year as all the cars in America. Organics are another way.

Philosophy: Supporting organic farming means supporting small family-based farms rather than huge conglomerates. It means healthier products and a healthier Earth. It promotes a culture of sustainability and respect for the land. It’s what Sana chooses.

Ominous synthetics roaming the skin care landscape…mysterious chemicals with disputed toxicity or even carcinogenicity remaining unregulated on store shelves. How this could be? Maybe the risks are overblown. Maybe in such small amounts they’re not really harmful. Surely if it were that bad, the FDA or someone would step in.

Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. The US system puts most of the burden on consumers to inform themselves about risks. Of course, accessing relevant information is next to impossible, let alone practical. The system of regulation is lax, under-enforced, painfully slow, and ultimately insufficient. Is the Government forcing manufacturers to adhere to strict labeling guidelines so consumers can make informed decisions? Is it monitoring the packaging coming from China or analyzing products before they hit the shelves? Is it banning ingredients that have some evidence of toxicity or carcinogenicity, even where banned the world over? No, no, and in many cases, no.

There are independent sources out there that are helping. Visit the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database of cosmetics or go to the NRDC’s site for environmental and health issues. Sana has condensed relevant information about the most commonly found risk items: Phthalates, Parabens, Bisphenol A (BPA), Endocrine Disrupting Sunscreen agents, as well as related issues like bio-accumulation, infant susceptibility, and nanotechnology. Hope it helps.

Parabens are low molecular weight synthetic preservatives used in a wide range of personal care products. They are endocrine disrupters, which means they can interrupt and/or disrupt the flow of hormones in the body. Their primary impact appears to be as an estrogen-mimic with mild carcinogenic properties. Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that parabens can permeate the skin, enter the body and bio-accumulate. Parabens appear to be most troublesome in areas where absorption is most likely – e.g., in deodorants and shaving cream. Some studies have found a connection between parabens and breast cancer.

Sana does not use Parabens, or, for that matter, any other synthetic preservative.