WHY WE INSIST ON CERTIFIED ORGANIC INGREDIENTS
Why Organic?
Like the products themselves, the reason we use only certified organic ingredients in all 10 Degrees Cooler products is simple: we believe in doing whatever we can to protect your health and the world we live in. Choosing to use organic skin care products means choosing to keep potentially harmful chemicals off of your body and out of the environments in which the ingredients for those products grow.
What Do We Mean When We Say ‘Certified Organic’ Ingredients?
In order to be ‘certified organic’ an ingredient (in our case the essential oils, carrier oils, butters and other ingredients we use) must be free from synthetic chemicals (such as pesticides and herbicides) and must have been grown, processed, and transported in a way that has kept them separate from products containing such chemicals. Furthermore, these ingredients, the farms on which they grow, and the methods used to process them are subject to periodic on-site inspections by certifying governing bodies to insure organic standards are maintained.
But I’m Not Eating This Stuff, Why Is It Important That Skin Care Products Be Made With Organic Ingredients?
There are multiple reasons why it matters that a skin care product be made with certified organic ingredients, but to begin with… it just makes sense for your individual health.
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The skin, like the heart or the liver, is an organ. It is, in fact, the largest organ in the body and it absorbs chemicals easily, transferring them into the blood which carries them to all the cells in the body. A recent study revealed the average woman uses thirteen products, containing over 500 different chemicals, on her body every single day. Many of these chemicals, such as parabens and phthalates, are hormone-altering, and unregulated (both the chemicals and the products that contain them). They get absorbed through the skin, or from hands and lips into the mouth, and make their way through the body.
While some of these chemicals may be safe (and we emphasize ‘may’ because even governing bodies like the U.S. Food & Drug Administration admit they do not monitor them) is that really a chance you want to take? Personally, we’re not wild about the idea of hormone altering or any of the other negative effects of using unnecessary chemicals. That’s why we’ve made our products free of phthalates, parabens, sulfates, chemical fragrances, alcohol, dyes, petroleum and all the other nasty stuff making up those other products people use every day. Simply put, great skin care is possible without any of them, and we love the peace of mind that comes from knowing that none of these things is going on us (or in us) when we’re using 10 Degrees Cooler products. You can feel great knowing that each one of our products was initially made by Andreea Farcas for her personal use specifically because she wanted to avoid using chemical-based products. If we won’t use it, we won’t sell it. Period.
What Are Some Other Reasons To Go Organic?
Almost all of our ingredients are plant-based and we want those plants, the people who grow them, and the animals who live around them, to be free from harmful pesticides and herbicides.
As humans, plants are everything to us. They feed us, clothe us, shelter us, and provide us with the very air we breathe. Many plants require pollinators (birds, bats, and, of course, bees, butterflies and other insects) and the frightening reality is that the pollinators of the planet are vanishing at an alarming rate. The chemicals ‘Big Agriculture’ uses to grow more crops for less money are significant contributors to these astonishing die-offs, and the effects are devastating. Simply put, no pollinators means a critically-endangered food supply. Furthermore, many of the pesticides and herbicides in use today appear to be creating a class of 'superweeds' and 'super pests' that are immune to the chemicals designed to keep them away, resulting in the need for greater quantities of stronger, more deadly chemicals. Add to this how unsafe it may be for the people forced to handle these chemicals and the decision for us is simple: we don’t want to contribute to the problem in any way we can avoid.