The Importance of USDA Organic Certification

Wow, it seems like "another one bites the dust."  First there was the reformulation of the baby products, now one of our organic competitors have decided to drop their organic certification.  What's next!?  Instead of talking about their possible motivations, though, we thought we'd take this opportunity to clarify a few things about USDA organic certification, and to talk about what organic certification really means to you, as the end-user of these products. 

In their explanation of why they're dropping their certification, the "other company" says:

"This year the USDA Certifying Agency has raised their annual fees dramatically.  By them doing so it caused most of our USDA Certified Organic Suppliers to have to increase their prices."

I found this kind of strange (improper capitalization aside) for a few reasons.  First, there are always price fluctuations based on supply and demand.  Some ingredients have increased in price, like jojoba oil, due to a worldwide shortage, but we haven't noticed any huge overall increases. Second, there is no such entity as "the USDA Certifying Agency."  There are many organic certifying agencies, but their statement makes it seem like there is just one giant agency that certifies everyone.  Organic certification just doesn't work this way.

The USDA National Organic Program certifies third-party certifying agencies, like QAI, Oregon Tilth, etc.  Then, the certifying agencies certify the farms and production facilities under the USDA regulations.  The USDA does not directly certify any farms, products, or facilities.  It's all done through the certifiers who answer to the USDA.

For a full list of third-party organic certifiers, visit this link: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5074486

The "other company" makes it seem like it's the government that's charging them, but, as you can see, it's the certifying company that they hired that they're paying, not the government.  The government isn't seeing any of their money.  If their certifying agency has increased their prices, all they would need to do is find another certifying agency.

They say "We decided that until the government can change the regulations and charge those poison companies instead of us organic and safe companies, that we no longer want to partake in funding the USDA Agencies."  While this may sound like a good argument, it's flawed because the government isn't charging them; it's the certifying agency.  And it's not as if someone just came in and slapped fees on them; it was their choice to earn USDA organic certification in the first place.  And the fees for certification can always be shopped.  If you feel that your current company is charging you too much, you can get a quote from any of the other hundreds of companies.  If you really want organic certification, you can find a way.

While it may sound like they're taking some kind of stand against the "poison companies," in reality, they're hurting organics.  Each ingredient they switch to conventional takes business away from organic farms that use sustainable growing and harvesting methods and, instead, supports farms that use pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, GMOs and the like.  What if all companies did this in the name of lowering prices? We would end up with our entire food (and body care) supply being "conventional," loaded with genetic modification, pesticides and synthetic fertilizer residue, and deplete from nutritional value. It would be 1994 again, when organic wasn't even a choice.  We wouldn't know how our foods were grown or if they were genetically modified.  If you really want the cost of organic ingredients to go down, you support them. You use as many organic ingredients as possible.  You hold fast and find ways to negotiate with your ingredient suppliers, buy in bulk, and shop around for the best prices.  The greater the demand for organic, the more competition there is, more land is used for organic agriculture and prices go down.  Eschewing organic certification and ingredients doesn't do anything to make organics more affordable. It only allows you to lower your prices in the hopes of getting more sales.

Importance of Organic

Organic is so widely used now in marketing that sometimes we can forget about the real importance of choosing organic products.  Organic isn't a meaningless marketing term just to make something seem more natural or to hike its price.  There are real reasons to use organic products and foods.  Organic ingredients are grown without the use of a group of toxic pesticides called organophosphates.  Organophosphates kill insects by affecting their nervous systems. Unfortunately it can do the same thing to us, hurting our brains and nervous systems, and they can be used as biological weapons.  (Organophosphates have been used as nerve gas in warfare. Source) Herbicides like glyphosate (Roundup) are toxic in moderate to high doses in humans, are a suspected reproductive toxin (xenoestrogen) and are highly dangerous to aquatic life.  (Source) Non-organic foods and ingredients contain traces of these poisonous substances.  And yes, these are small traces, and the dose does make the poison, but think about daily exposure from your foods and personal care products combined.  The exposure can build up.  But also, these pesticides and herbicides are sprayed year-after-year on fields, permeating the soil and leaching in to groundwater that affects all those around it, closely, and far downstream.  When you stop supporting organic, you're perpetuating the use of these toxins in the world around us.

Then there are GMOs, Genetically Modified Organisms.  These crops have been altered with DNA from a strain of bacteria created to be resistant to glyphosate (so they can spray as much as they want) and to contain toxins that kill insects when they try to eat the crops.  These crops can also be harmful to us, possibly leading to infertility, digestive issues and malabsorption of nutrients.  (A lot of info on this here.) [Won't get in to the whole Monstanto preying on small farmers and developing countries, but watch Food Inc. and you'll know what we're talking about.]  When we choose non-organic, we support GMOs and the companies behind them. 

Distrust of USDA

Each time the USDA approves another genetically modified crop by Monsanto, it loses credibility with many people.  Couple this with the bizarre school lunch requirements that count french fries as vegetables (although this seems to be changing with new regulations) plus deep-seeded corporate ties and you have a bad reputation on your hands.  I've seen comments on social media from people saying "I don't trust the USDA so the USDA organic seal means nothing to me."  On the surface this may seem like sound logic, but really, if you look in to it, it's quite a contradictory statement. 

The NOP (National Organic Program) is one very small office inside the USDA.  It doesn't work with or answer to any other offices within the USDA.  Because the regulations are set forth by the independent council of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), the NOP doesn't answer to anyone else inside the USDA, just the NOSB.  NOP regulations are very specific, so there is little room for misinterpretation, corruption, or influence.  If a company breaks the rules, they're fined and/or stripped of their certification.  Distrust of the (general offices of the) USDA to protect our food supply from GMOs and harmful pesticides would be the exact reason to choose organic.  Choosing organic is the only way you can know that you're buying products that don't expose you to these harmful substances.

The organic industry is set up with checks and balances between government and private agencies.  If a third-party certifier breaks the rules, the USDA will fine them $10,000 per infraction.  This could be as simple as not keeping the right paperwork on file. Certifiers work very carefully not to make mistakes or let things slide because their entire business is on the line.  The same goes for an organic farm or organic processing facility.  Speaking as one myself, our certification isn't something that we take lightly.  Additionally, if a farm or operation is going to go through the trouble of getting certification, it usually means that they have true dedication to organic principles.  Organic farming isn't easy.  There is much more work involved than with conventional farming where you would just load the ground up with fertilizer, plant seeds, and spray pesticides everywhere. With organic farming, crop rotation must be planned, compost created properly, natural pest control methods decided upon and documented.  This could mean going tree-to-tree distributing handfuls of ladybugs.  Weeds would have to be pulled by hand or sprayed individually with approved substances like a clove essential oil mixture.  This is why organic ingredients are more expensive; it's labor intensive. And usually there's less yield.  Organic farmers will, a lot of the time, grow a variety of crops that are rotated to keep the soil fertile.  Some crops are more profitable than others.  And while a conventional farm might be able to dedicate all of their land to the most profitable crop, only a portion of an organic farm can be dedicated to the cash crops.  So, when it comes to certification, there's a lot on the line.  If a farm decides to use an unapproved substance, or even mistakenly does so, and they lose their certification, all of the hard work they've done is down the drain.  So, on the side of the farmer, processor, or certifier, there's a lot at stake to follow the rules.  And plus, most of the people in the industry that have chosen to go organic have done it for a reason, because they know it's the right thing to do.  It's not easy, but it's their passion.

Organic Cheaters

All of this said, we do acknowledge that it's not a perfect system, and we can't say that there aren't organic cheaters, people who illegally use the seal.   Check out our previous article that will help you spot organic cheaters.  (One that we pointed out back then has now been forced to take the USDA Organic seal from their website and products due to its illegal use.)  There are ways that you can spot organic cheaters.  The biggest thing is to look for the seal of their third-party certifying agency.  You can also look up a company here to verify their certification.   

The Deal with the Seal

What it means to you when you see the USDA Organic seal:

• Ingredients grown and processed with only organic-approved substances, (no organophosphates, etc)
• No artificial colors (colors from juices, etc, only.) 
• No artificial flavors
• No GMOs
• No contact with sewage sludge
• No contact with ionizing radiation
• Non-agricultural ingredients in a product must be on the approved substances list (like baking soda and salt) and have to be GMO free and not processed with sewage sludge or ionizing radiation.  
• Ingredients on ingredient list are exactly what's in the product and verified by a third party.  (Otherwise you're trusting the company to tell you the ingredients. Without certification you end up with ingredients lists with things like "natural cream base" or shampoos that don't disclose the exact detergent they're using.) 

The USDA Organic seal is the gold standard for organic certification in the world.  And there is no separate certification standard for personal care products.  The same rules that apply to foods apply to us as well.  We are proud to make our own USDA organic products in our certified organic facility and are committed, more than ever, to these important standards.  

Why Companies Reformulate

Right now the internet is all abuzz about a certain popular baby personal care company reformulating their products and adding the preservative sodium benzoate. The company in question has responded and defended their decision. But the question remains: WHY? Why would a company change their formulas when everything seemed to be just fine before?

Now, I can't speak for this company or their particular decisions. But, I can suggest a few ideas that could be a factor in their decision making process. And the answer is the same for this question: "Why are truly USDA organic products so hard to find in stores?"

It all has to do with the way the industry works...

Most of the time cosmetic manufacturers sell their products through distributors. Manufacturers sell their products to a distributor for below-wholesale prices. The distributor then sells the products to the store at wholesale, and the store sells the product for "retail" or the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price.) The retail price is what you see on store shelves.

When a brand is carried in large retailers nationwide, there are a number of requirements that the manufacturer must meet. Some stores will charge for shelf space. Some stores require something called "free fill." This means the store gets a certain number of products for free from the manufacturer. In the cosmetics sector, this usually is six free units per item. So, say a chain of 300 stores came to a company like ours and said "we want to carry your products!" Well, we'd initially be thrilled....but then comes the free fill. Say the store wanted to carry ten different deodorants of ours. That would be 60 free deodorants per store that they'd receive...times that by 300 stores and that's 18 THOUSAND free deodorants that they'd require, just to be carried in their chain.

So, on top of the tens of thousands of dollars of free product, now you need to make sure that the product is selling so that the stores will order again and you can start to recoup the initial cost of the free fill. And the way that stores want you to do this is by a certain number of required "demos." A demo is when you send an employee out to the store with a table to hand out free samples or product information to try to sell the products. They typically require three demos per store in the first month, and then one every month following that. So, somehow you have to get employees to all three hundred stores, three times a month...so you have employee labor costs and travel costs, and the costs of the free samples and product information, and you haven't made a single dime yet. Keep in mind that on top of all this, some retailers will actually charge the manufacturer for their shelf space.

So, in order for a company to be large enough to fulfill that initial order and cover all those costs, they would have to take on investors. The sole goal of an investor is to make money. They don't care about the quality of ingredients--they want to get their money back, plus some. So, if a company has taken on investors, they're going to have immense pressure to be as profitable as possible. This means cheapening the ingredients, eventually leading to the phasing out of organic content in favor of water, cheaper conventional ingredients and synthetic fillers.

Then there's demographics...

While the organic sector is growing exponentially, most people don't know the difference between a fake organic product and a certified organic product. So, of the perhaps 10 percent of people in a conventional grocery store looking for organic products, only a half of a percent are really looking for USDA organic certified. They're going to shop by price, packaging, scents, and other factors. So, because USDA organic products are typically priced higher because they cost more to make, their sales will be slower to the general public. Most people also don't pay attention to an ingredients list. They figure if it's in a health foods store, it must be okay.

Then, there are specials...

The manufacturer receives pressure from retailers to do specials all the time and there is always pressure to permanently lower their prices. And if a company is relying on that retailer for the majority of their business, they're going to basically have to do what they're told. In order to stay in business they have to find ways to make their products cheaper. Sometimes this means getting them produced overseas. Sometimes this means cheaper packaging. Other times, this means boosting the water content of the product and adding stronger preservatives.

As a company we have carefully chosen the stores we are in. In fact, every store that we are carried in has come to us wanting our products, not the other way around. Harmon's has been a fabulous local partner to support our local business, not charging for shelf space or requiring free fill. The Rocky Mountain region of Whole Foods has done the same. We love all the independent shops and salons around the country that carry our products and believe in the importance of USDA organic. If there is one near you, we encourage you to support them.

Bubble & Bee Organic has purposefully chosen to be a company that does most of our business by selling directly to customers, so we don't have immense pressure from retailers. This way, we can be flexible and offer fun new products for the seasons, package deals, and surprise sales. We have chosen to be completely self-funded, so we don't have pressure from investors to always be making a profit. (No matter how much they wanted in, but that's a story for another day.) In this way, we continue to keep our integrity and values, have control over which ingredients we use, and give customers truly certified organic products that they want! We're so happy with our customer base that sees the difference in what we do. As our little beehive grows you will never have to worry about us changing our standards or back-tracking on our morals. Support our business and we'll never let you down!

Read about our organic certification here.

Does Skin Absorption Matter?

Slather on that sunscreen, relax in a long hot bath, or douse yourself in body spray. There are many products we use every day, ingredients of which end up in our bodies. But skin absorption rates are still largely unknown and varied. And the real surprise is that skin absorption may not be as important as we think--reactions that occur invisibly in the skin can affect the entire body.

You'll see claims on different websites like this:

"Up to 70% of what we put on our body is absorbed in to our bloodstream."
"Upwards of 100% of what we put on our skin ends up in the body."

While we, of course, know that chemicals applied to the skin are absorbed in to the bloodstream, these claims of certain percentages are actually largely un-substantiated. Surprisingly, there has been no study that inclusively details the average amount of a typical cosmetic formulation that ends up in the bloodstream. (And know that when I say "cosmetic" I don't just mean makeup. I mean lotions, shampoos, deodorants--everything you put on your skin.) Numerous studies have found traces of many cosmetic chemicals in breastmilk, urine and blood, indicating that cosmetic chemicals do end up in the body. But as for one definitive study or collection of studies that would enable a claim of "x% is absorbed," there is none.

Let's also take a look at the meaning of a statement like this. When you say 70%, does that mean if you apply 1 ounce of a lotion to your body, 70% of that 1 ounce would be absorbed, or does that mean, of the ingredients list, 70% of the listed ingredients would be absorbed in some amount? Where this claim came from is unknown, but it started online and has become a cornerstone marketing point for "green" companies everywhere.

Dependent Upon Blend of Ingredients
No cosmetic formula is created exactly the same. Even products with similar ingredients are absorbed in to the body differently. The amount of water in the formula, the viscosity, presence of penetration enhancers like glycols, the presence of nanoparticles, pH, the particular chemical makeup--all of these factors will affect how a product is absorbed.

Dependent Upon Usage
Typically, leave-on products like lotions will usually have higher absorption rate than a wash-off product like a shampoo, just for the sheer amount of time and surface area that you're exposed to.

Dependent Upon Age
As we age, our skin becomes thinner and it is theorized that absorption can increase. Also infant skin is thought to be thinner and/or more absorbent as well. (This study found that infants absorbed more phthalates than adults.)

Dependent Upon the Area of the Body
Obviously, the skin on the soles of our feet is much thicker than the skin on our faces, so where the product is applied has a big effect on absorption. Additionally, an area of skin that is not touched much by clothing has the potential to absorb more than an area where clothing would rub a product off the skin.

Absorption Not As Important as We Thought
While the actual absorption of cosmetics is not known, and varies wildly from person-to-person and from formula-to-formula, this does not support the argument that synthetic chemical formulas are safe. Proponents of these synthetics will say that the percentage of ingredients absorbed in to the body are so small that they don't have an effect on our health. But they're completely missing the point...

The skin IS the body. It's not a disconnected external shell. It's an organ that interacts with the rest of the body.

Several studies have found that when certain chemicals are applied to the skin (parabens, triclosan, phthalates) they interact with an enzyme called SULT1E1. This enzyme is what's responsible for flushing estrogen out of the body. These chemicals have been found to inhibit the activity of this enzyme, thus possibly increasing estrogen levels in the body. (For more details on this, check out my article here.) It's kind of like clogging the drain that allows the estrogen out. If the bathtub keeps running, and the drain continues to clog, at some point it's going to overflow. With an increasing problem of women and men having problems with estrogen dominance syndrome, many natural healthcare professionals and scientists alike agree that estrogenic chemicals applied to the skin can partially be to blame.

So, while absorption rates are still largely unknown and varied, absorption is almost secondary to reactions that actually occur in the skin and that can affect the function of the rest of your body.

How to Tell if a Product is Really Organic

The world of "organic" personal care products can be confusing to navigate. There are SO many tricks and ways that companies bend and break the rules of organic labeling. So many times you can buy something that gave you the impression that it was organic, but then you turn it around to read the ingredients and find out it has things like phenoxyethanol, vegetable emulsifying wax, "fragrance," Grapefruit Seed Extract, and other harmful chemicals. Here are some of the common tricks that companies do.

Organic claims without certification. No matter if it's a food or a cosmetic, labeling and marketing an agricultural (ie, plant-based product) product as organic or 100% organic without certification is illegal. Check out this screen shot from an actual website. While the ingredients may check out, the company doesn't have certification, so there is no way to verify if the claim is true or not. This is an apparent illegal organic claim.

Subconscious Marketing. This one is a little more subtle. They're not calling the product organic, or have the word organic very large on the product. But they have a little slogan or other small marketing point that suggests that the product is organic. While the product has a few organic ingredients, it does not have any level of certification. This is not a breach of the law, but a reminder to always read the ingredients.

Illegal use of the seal on websites. Another trick that companies will do is to (illegally) use the USDA seal on their website, but not the product label. They're using some organic ingredients, so somehow they think that they can use the seal. But without certification as a company, this is totally illegal and misleading. For instance, check out this screen shot from an actual website.


You'll notice there on the top it says "our partners." This graphic would indicate that the USDA Organic program is one of the company's partners. But not so. This company has no certification and is apparently using the USDA Organic seal illegally.

Here's another site...Check out the organic claim that is made here:


In order for a product to legally say "made with organic" the product, of course, must be 70% or more organic content, it has to be made in a USDA certified organic processing facility under strict conditions, and only contain certain approved non-organic ingredients. Does this product make the grade? Check out the ingredients list:

Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice(1), Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil(1), Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil(1), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil(1), Allantoin, Bisabolol, Sodium Citrate, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate.
(1)Certified Organic Ingredient

Cocamidopropyl Betaine is not on the approved list of synthetics...neither is a number of those chemicals listed. What does it matter if the product is 70% organic if it contains toxins like benzyl alcohol?!

Using organic in the company name
This is probably the most common trick. A company will use the word "organic" in their brand name, but they don't have certification or anything close to it.

Beware of "organic" makeups
Micas, iron oxides, titanium dioxides and other mineral pigments are not on the approved list of substances allowed in an organic product. At all. If you see a makeup that's marketed as Organic, it is not certified by the USDA or else has been apparently mistakenly certified, because they include these prohibited substances. (For the list of approved non-organic substances allowed in an organic product, visit this page.)

Look at this claim from a makeup's home page:


But look at some of the ingredients in the product:


Most of these ingredients are prohibited for use in a USDA certified product! Something doesn't add up here, even though the company still has their certification and the USDA claims that it is currently valid. Both the company and the certifying agency are based outside of the US and I believe that something has been lost in translation. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

How do they get away with this?
There is a common misconception that there are no laws governing the term "organic" in personal care/cosmetic items. There are laws--the same laws that are applied to food. To market a product as "organic" without organic certification is illegal. Period. However, the resources of the USDA organic program are highly limited in the enforcement department. There are literally only five people on the national staff to enforce the rules of the National Organic Program. The State of California's Agriculture Department is the only other enforcement body, and they can only enforce products being sold in California. So, with the limited resources that these agencies have, they have had to focus on regulation of foods because that is their first and foremost concern.

However, there is hope. The USDA has recently deemed this to be an "era of enforcement" for the organic program. The staff of five people is actually an increase from one or two in years past. Perhaps with pressure from consumers and non-profits such as the Organic Consumers Association, the issue of illegally-labeled body care products will be more strictly enforced. For a list of truly organic body care companies, and for ways that you can help call out organic fakers, visit the Organic Consumer's Association Coming Clean Campaign website here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/index.cfm#BUY

Be an Organic Sleuth

With all of this rule breaking and bending, it IS possible for an organic body care product to be really and truly organic. Look for the USDA seal, first and foremost. Second, find out the company's third-party certifying agency. If it's not easily available on their website, ask them to provide that information. Third, if you still feel like it's fishy, you can check them out online through the USDA's website. The USDA has a national database of companies with organic certification. Here is the link--you can look up any company! Sometimes if a company just recently got their certification, they won't be on this list. But you should be able to verify with the third-party certifier. QAI, for instance, has their own online database of operations they certify. And as always, read the ingredients!

To read more about our organic certification, visit this page!

Essential Oils to Avoid During Pregnancy

There is a lot of information out there about which essential oils to use and to avoid during pregnancy. Many different sites and aromatherapy books list essential oils to avoid during pregnancy, but unfortunately, much of this information is conflicting and unclear. Why does one list say a particular essential oil is okay, while another list says "avoid when pregnant?" Does the "avoid" mean internally or externally, too? The aim of this series of articles is to clear up the confusion and specify the particular risks involved with certain essential oils based on chemistry and toxicology data, and not just rumors and folklore.

Essential Oils Everyone Should Avoid At All Times, Internally and Externally
These essential oils contain dangerous compounds. Avoid them in aromatherapy, personal care products, and internally.

Cade (Contains Benzo[a]pyrene, a known carcinogen.)
Sassafras (Contains Safrole, a possible carcinogen.)
Ravensara anisata (Contains Estragole, a possible carcinogen.)
Basil (Contains Estragole, a possible carcinogen.)
Tarragon (Contains Estragole, a possible carcinogen.)
Camphor (Contains Safrole, a possible carcinogen, and contains Camphor [the compound] which is a neurotoxin and convulsant.)
Calamus (Contains Beta-asarone, a possible carcinogen.)
Tarragon (Contains Estragole and Methyleugenol, possible carcinogens.)
Snakeroot (Contains Methyleugenol, a possible carcinogen.)
Malaleuca bracteata (Contains Methyleugenol, a possible carcinogen.)
Bitter Almond (Contains Hydrocyanic acid, which is highly toxic.)
Armolse (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions.)
Sweet Birch (Contains Methyl salicylate, which is highly toxic.)
Boldo (Contains Ascaridole, which is extremely toxic.)
Buchu (Contains Pulegone, which is toxic to the liver.)
Cassia (Contains Cinnamaldehyde, a liver toxin and skin sensitizer.)
Cinnamon Bark (Contains Cinnamaldehyde, a liver toxin and skin sensitizer.)
Costus (Contains Costuslactone, a strong skin sensitizer.)
Elecampane (Contains Alantalactone, a strong skin sensitizer.)
Horseradish (Contains Allyl isothicyanate, extremely toxic and irritating to skin and mucous membranes.)
Lanyana (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions.)
Mustard (Allyl isothicyanate, extremely toxic and irritating to skin and mucous membranes.)
Pennyroyal (Contains Pulegone, which is toxic to the liver.)
Dalmatian Sage (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions.)
Tansy (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions.)
Thuja (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions.)
Wintergreen (Contains high amounts of Methyl salicylate, which is highly toxic.)
Wormseed (Contains Ascaridole, which is extremely toxic.)
Wormwood (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions.)

Essential Oils to Avoid During Pregnancy, Externally or Internally

Balsamite (Contains Camphor, a neurotoxin and convulsant.)
Ho leaf (Contains Camphor, a neurotoxin and convulsant.)
Hyssop (Contains Pinocamphone, which is generally toxic, a neurotoxin, and convulsant.)
Indian Dill Seed (Contains Apiol, which is generally toxic, an abortifacient, and toxic to the fetus.)
Juniperus Pfitzeriana (Contains Sabinyl acetate, known to be an abortifacient.)
Parsley Leaf (Contains Apiol, which is generally toxic, an abortifacient, and toxic to the fetus.)
Parsleyseed (Contains Apiol, which is a generally toxic, an abortifacient, and toxic to the fetus.)
Plectranthus (Contains Sabinyl acetate, known to be an abortifacient.)
Sage (Spanish) (Contains Sabinyl acetate, known to be an abortifacient.)
Savin (Contains Sabinyl acetate, known to be an abortifacient.)
Annual Wormwood (Contains Artemisia ketone, which is possibly toxic and a neurotoxin)
Cangerana (Contains Safrole, a possible carcinogen.)
Lavandula Stoechas (Contains Camphor which is a neurotoxin and convulsant.)
Lavender cotton (Contains Artemisia ketone, which is possibly toxic and a neurotoxin.)
Oakmoss (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions.)
Perilla (Contains Perilla ketone, which is potentially toxic.)
Rue (Has a strong folk history of being an abortifacient with a small amount of clinical evidence to back it up. It is not known which compounds are to blame, but it is likely that its general toxicity is to blame for its possible abortifacient nature.)
Treemoss (Contains Thujone, a neurotoxin known to cause convulsions.)

Essential Oils that are Safe for External, but not Internal Use During Pregnancy
Anise (Contains Trans-anethole, which displays weakly estrogenic activity. The amount absorbed through skin when used in a cosmetic item would not affect hormonal levels, however, an oral dose could have an effect.)
Fennel (Also contains Trans-anethole.)
Lavandin (Contains a small amount of Camphor. The amount that would be absorbed through the skin in a personal care product is 500 times less than the amount needed to cause a deleterious effect, so it is considered safe for topical use, but it would be prudent to avoid an internal dose.)
Nutmeg and Mace (similar chemically) (Animal studies have proven no ill effects to the mother or fetus when applied externally. There is one case study of a pregnant woman who ate a high amount of nutmeg in a cookie; she and her baby started having heart palpitations. Everything returned to normal after 12 hours. It is thought that the stimulant effect of the Myristicin in the spice was to blame. The amount of Myristicin that would be absorbed through a properly diluted personal care product containing nutmeg or mace would not be great enough to cause this effect.)
Rosemary (Contains a small amount of Camphor. [See lavandin.])
Spike lavender (Contains a small amount of Camphor. [See lavandin.])
Yarrow (Contains a small amount of Camphor. [See lavandin.])

Your Questions Answered

I have heard that lemongrass is not safe during pregnancy. Is this true?
Rumors about Lemongrass being unsafe started with a study about citral, the main component of lemongrass essential oil. Doses of citral were injected in to lab rats, and the rats became less fertile at a dose of .3 g/kg. This is equivalent to injecting around 30 ml (2 tbs) of lemongrass essential oil in to the abdomen every 4-5 days for 60 days. Wearing a lotion or product with lemongrass in it doesn't provide the dose to see any side effect.

Are there any essential oils I should avoid when I'm trying to become pregnant?
Follow the same guidelines and lists that I've outlined above.

Are there any essential oils that help increase milk production during lactation?
No. There is no scientific data to suggest that any essential oil used externally would increase lactation.

What's the truth about Lavender & Tea Tree? Are they really estrogenic?
They are not! Check out my previous article on the subject.

Some lists say citrus oils should be avoided during pregnancy. Is this true?
There is no reason to avoid citrus oils during pregnancy. The only side effect of a citrus essential oil is that it if left on skin in a high concentration and then exposed to strong sunlight, it can increase sunburn or cause a rash. This reaction varies from person to person and depends on their own sensitivities.

What about ________ essential oil? I've read it should be avoided during pregnancy.
Everything but those on the lists above are safe to use for aromatherapy purposes (lotions, soaps, in diffusers, etc) during pregnancy. All essential oils are very powerful substances. Essential oils should always be diluted properly (.5% to 5% depending on the oil) in a carrier oil. Do not use undiluted on skin. Always consult a reputable healthcare provider, herbalist, or naturopath before using any essential oil internally.

If there is a particular essential oil you're concerned about, write it in the comments below and I'll be happy to give you an analysis!

Chemicals to Avoid, Part 5: Nitrosamine Contamination

Numerous authorities link nitrosamines to cancer. They are listed as possible human carcinogens by the EPA, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the U.S. National Toxicology Program Report on Carcinogens and the California EPA Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects. Several other databases cite strong to moderate evidence regarding the cancer-causing properties of nitrosamines. In addition, there is some evidence of endocrine disruption at very low doses. Studies have also linked nitrosamines to developmental or reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and systemic toxicity. Source

Nitrosamines are a group of compounds that are created in the presence of an amine (as in amino acid, protein, etc) and a nitrostating agent, such as nitrate.

Nitrosamines are a serious concern with meats preserved with nitrates and nitrites. As the body breaks down the amino acids in the presence of the preservative, the nitrate and the amino acids combine and create nitrosamines in the gut, causing, many sources suspect, colon and other internal cancers.

Nitrosamines are also a concern in personal care products. With these ingredients, nitrosamines are either created during the manufacturing of the chemical, or are created over time as the formula breaks down. Ingredients with nitrosamine contamination concerns include:

Cocamidopropyl betaine
Triethanolamine (TEA)
Diethanolamine (DEA)

More than 9800 cosmetic items on the market today contain ingredients that can be linked to nitrosamines. Click here for the full list on the EWG Cosmetics Database.

Chemicals to Avoid, Part 4: Formaldehyde Donors

Formaldehyde, most commonly associated with embalming fluid, is a known carcinogen. Its highly toxic nature makes it an effective preservative in cosmetics, too. While it's not typically listed in an ingredients list on its own, a number of preservatives work by slowly releasing a steady stream of formaldehyde in to the product. Common cosmetic formaldehyde donors include:

• DMDM Hydantoin
• Tetrasodium EDTA
• Diazolidnyl Urea
• Urea
• imidazolidinyl urea

The presence of formaldehyde and its donors are also known to cause skin reactions in sensitive individuals, can create and aggravate sensitivity, and can affect the lymph nodes. Source

Many times, companies jump on the "paraben-free" bandwagon, but substitute the parabens with formaldehyde donors. Always read the ingredients label.