Green Daily

For years, beauty product manufacturers have touted their "natural" and "organic" characteristics of their goods. But up until recently, to receive the organic label, the products only had to contain 70% of organic ingredients.

For the first time, the USDA has approved eco-conscious Origins' new line of lotions and face as "Certified Organic," which means that the ingredients are at least 95% organic, with the remaining five percent adhering to strict standards. The USDA even OK'd Origins to use the government's organic label on their new Origins Organics line.

Origins also prints all of their product labels on recycled paper with soy-based inks, and their cartons are made of 50% recycled paperboard and 50% post-consumer fiber, and produced using wind and hydro power. And to make up for the use of electricity in their stores, the company is purchasing wind-generated power offsets.

The drawback: as you probably guessed, the line is pricey; the 97% certified organic "Soothing Lip Balm" will set you back a whopping $15. And while regular ol' drugstore ChapStick "100% Soothing Naturals" is only about a buck and a half, you're smearing your lips with Octyldodecanol and Tocopheryl Acetate, which don't sound very natural to me. (According to a recent report, over 450 U.S. cosmetics products contain large doses of toxic chemicals).

While I personally won't be spending $15 on a lip balm anytime soon, it's still nice to know that there's now a fully organic option at my disposal.