United States Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Marketing Service

National Organic Program 

Cosmetics, Body Care Products, and 

Personal Care Products

● FDA does not defi ne or regulate the term 

“organic,” as it applies to cosmetics, body 

care, or personal care products. 

● USDA regulates the term “organic” as it applies 

to agricultural products through its National 

Organic Program (NOP) regulation, 7 CFR Part 

205.

● If a cosmetic, body care product, or personal 

care product contains or is made up of 

agricultural ingredients, and can meet the 

USDA/NOP organic production, handling, 

processing and labeling standards, it may 

be eligible to be certifi ed under the NOP 

regulations. 

● The operations which produce the organic 

agricultural ingredients, the handlers of these 

agricultural ingredients, and the manufacturer 

of the fi nal product must all be certifi ed by a 

USDA-accredited organic certifying agent.

● Once certifi ed, cosmetics, personal care 

products, and body care products are eligible 

for the same 4 organic labeling categories as 

all other agricultural products, based on their 

organic content and other factors:

 “100 percent organic”--Product must 

contain (excluding water and salt) 

only organically produced ingredients. 

Products may display the USDA Organic 

Seal and must display the certifying 

agent’s name and address.

 “Organic”--Product must contain at 

least 95 percent organically produced 

ingredients (excluding water and salt). 

Remaining product ingredients must 

consist of nonagricultural substances 

approved on the National List or nonorganically produced agricultural 

products that are not commercially 

available in organic form, also on the 

National List. Products may display the 

USDA Organic Seal and must display the 

certifying agent’s name and address. 

 “Made with organic ingredients”--

Products contain at least 70 percent 

organic ingredients and product label 

can list up to three of the organic 

ingredients or “food” groups on the 

principal display panel. For example, 

body lotion made with at least 70 

percent organic ingredients (excluding 

water and salt) and only organic herbs 

may be labeled either “body lotion 

made with organic lavender, rosemary, 

and chamomile,” or “body lotion made 

with organic herbs.” Products may not

display the USDA Organic Seal and must 

display the certifying agent’s name and 

address.

 Less than 70 percent organic ingredients-

-Products cannot use the term “organic” 

anywhere on the principal display panel. 

However, they may identify the specifi c 

ingredients that are USDA-certifi ed as 

being organically produced on the 

ingredients statement on the information 

panel. Products may not display the 

USDA Organic Seal and may not display 

a certifying agent’s name and address. 

(Water and salt are also excluded here.)
Cosmetics, Body Care Products, and 

Personal Care Products

National Organic Program

 www.ams.usda.gov/nop

202-720-3252

● Any cosmetic, body care product, or 

personal care product that does not meet the 

production, handling, processing, labeling, 

and certifi cation standards described above, 

may not state, imply, or convey in any way 

that the product is USDA-certifi ed organic or 

meets the USDA organic standards.

However:

● USDA has no authority over the production 

and labeling of cosmetics, body care 

products, and personal care products that are 

not made up of agricultural ingredients, or do 

not make any claims to meeting USDA organic 

standards.

● Cosmetics, body care products, and personal 

care products may be certified to other, 

private standards and be marketed to those 

private standards in the United States. These 

standards might include foreign organic 

standards, eco-labels, earth friendly, etc. 

USDA’s NOP does not regulate these labels at 

this time.

April 2008