Organic Hair Color

Labels may claim a product is an ‘organic hair color’. But that doesn’t guarantee the product contains 100% organic ingredients. Although the food industry has strict definitions and requirements for organic labeling, the cosmetics industry has no such stringent standards. Cosmetic labels can indicate natural hair coloring products contain organic ingredients but not reveal the actual amount of organic content, which may be quite small.

Though some hair color products use these marketing ploys, other products do in fact contain substantial amounts of organic ingredients. These hair color products often combine plant-based extracts with lower concentrations of synthetic chemicals. These hybrid products are much gentler on hair and less toxic, but still may contain hair dye chemicals such as ammonia, toluene, p-Phenylenediamine, and resorcinol.

If you want a certified organic hair care product your best bet is to look for theUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic seal. This reliable seal has four different labeling categories based on the following levels of organic content in the ingredients, excluding water and salt. For more information about standards, certification and compliance requirements check out the USDA National Organic Program.