Organic September has well and truly passed and some of you might be feeling a little fatigued by constantly searching and checking for products that are organic. At KINN we like to make things simple and easy for you, it's why our products are focused around our homes and body care routines, to make easy and quick lifestyle swaps that not only help our planet but work well. But we wanted to highlight just why choosing organic and natural products is so important!
Did you know that “Nearly 20% of personal-care products contain at least one chemical linked to cancer, and yet the FDA has not regulated beauty ingredients since 1938. This, however, is evolving as consumers change their lifestyle and consumption habits. A 2004 study found parabens in 18 out of 20 samples of human breast tissue. Parabens are in almost 100% of drugstore skincare products and cosmetics. Finally, only about 10% of the 10,000 chemicals commonly found in personal care products have safety data.” – Excoluxe Magazine
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Sustainable farming
Food grown organically could not only be more nutritious but the soil it is grown from also benefits. This is because the soil is managed and nourished with sustainable practises and is not subject to heavy chemical and over farming practise of larger industrial farms.
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The environment.
By choosing organic you’re choosing to support farming practises that are designed to benefit the environment rather than harm it. By reducing pollution, the use of pesticides and conservation of water as well as promoting agricultural diversity.
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It tastes better!
Ok, so this might be a bit biased, but here us out! How often have you gone away somewhere warm, eaten local produce grown without pesticides and noticed just how plump and juicy the tomatoes are, or how delicious the peppers taste... We'd hazard a guess that it's happened a few times and is quite obvious.
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The meat... not one for our vegan and veggie friends.
By choosing organic fish and meat produce you’ll cut out all the antibiotics and drugs found in commercially farmed fish and meat. Not to mention the impact you’ll have on the quality of these animals lives. It's not perfect and many would say that no animal should die for food, but if you are going to eat meat then choose a farm that practises good ethics (as good as they can be in this situation) and avoid the factory farms and cheap meat. Factory farmed meat does not contain anything you need that you cannot get from plants and is in fact pumped full of chemicals, (soon Chlorine from the USA... thanks Brexit...) and antibiotics. With the potential fall in our farming standards because of Brexit now, more than ever, is the time to steer clear of meat you cannot source sustainably and locally. Wouldn't you rather eat one good piece of meat a week rather then five filled with hormones and other unsavoury add ons?
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Parabens
The dreaded Paraben has been on a lot of peoples radar for a while now, but it’s still such a commonly used ingredient. It is used as preservative and can be found in almost every beauty product which has water “aqua” in. Parabens have been shown to disrupt homrmones, and potentially linked to causes of cancer. Whilst most have been phased out of use in the EU it’s still worth checking the back of the label first (look for propylparaben, methylparaben, ethylparaben and butylparaben)
By using certified organic products (look for Soil Association, Eco-Cert, COSMOS) you know that your product will not be allowed to contain many common ingredients such as parabens.
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It's good for the family, not just you.
"Your skin is the largest organ of your body, and what you put on it is likely to be absorbed into the bloodstream." - Soil Association
If you already choose to use organic for yourself, then we’re pretty sure it isn’t difficult to make the change to organic for your children. The Lancet Neurology Study found that toxins in cosmetics could affect brain development and contribute to behavioural problems such as ADHD or Autism.
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It’s not as expensive as you think!
Of course there are some brands whose prices are astronomical, but if you were to truly compare the market you would find that, just like mainstream brands, there are organic options at varying price points. So the next time someone offers you something natural or organic don’t dismiss it on the point of price.
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Chemicals
In the U.K. alone there are over 3,800 brands of herbicide, insecticide and fungicide approved for use and some fruit and veg can be sprayed up to ten times with these chemicals before reaching your shelves. Whilst one chemical may not be enough to harm you, new research (due for publication in journal Toxicology) scientist believe that it is the combination of pesticides that can really cause harm. “When I looked at the effects of cocktails of chemicals on our nerve cells and saw how much more powerful combinations of pesticides are – the potential health risks are worrying” – Dr Janie Axelrad specialist in neurotoxicology at University of Liverpool.
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The wine is good!
Yes, you can find organic wine, champagne, gin, vodka, anything you want really, because if you’ve chosen to cut out the chemicals and toxins from your food, your beauty regime and as much as possible from your home cleaning routine (we know this is hard, but let us (KINN) help you!) then why not cut them out from your alcohol. Our co-founders swear the hangovers aren’t so painful when they’ve stuck to organic drinks.
The key here, really is to look for CERTFIED ORGANIC products, as sadly many companies label themselves as organic, or natural, but don’t actually have the credentials to back it up. Check out this helpful list for those who subvert the meaning of Organic and Natural and make it hard for those companies who do stick to the Organic and Natural philosophy to shine through! Check out the Soil Association Greenwash campaign that aims to eradicate the misuse of organic and natural, so that you don’t find yourself misled!
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