ENTERPRISE
No Cover Up Needed:
Aubrey Organics Brings Out the Personal Care
Industry’s Natural, Authentic Beauty
By Kat Schuett
Within 24 hours, the average woman uses 12 personal care products contain- ing a total of 160 different synthetic chemicals, according to a survey from the Environmental Working Group. Aubrey Hampton’s goal is to get that 160 down to zero. “I want to see every
personal care item have a natural or organic alternative.”
Often called the father of natural and organic personal
care, Hampton was one of the first industry voices to
speak out against the use of petrochemicals and other
harmful synthetics in beauty products, and over the years
he has authored several books on the subject. When he
founded Aubrey Organics in 1967, it was the first commer-
cial personal care manufacturer to disclose all ingredients
on the back panel. Later, he pushed the FDA to require all
personal care companies to do the same.
In 1994, Aubrey Organics became the first personal care manufacturer
to have a certified organic processing facility—creating the first third-party certified organic beauty products before the National Organic Program (NOP) was even developed. After the NOP was established these
products were the first to voluntarily undergo certification to earn the
USDA Organic seal.
While Hampton was working to establish authenticity in organic per-
sonal care, however, others took advantage of the lack of official regula-
tion and many products hit the market claiming “organic” that didn’t
contain any organic ingredients. Even worse, many of these actually con-
tained harmful synthetics and known carcinogens. To call attention to
this, in 1996 Hampton submitted a 50-page citizen’s petition to the USDA detailing over 250
chemicals that should not be allowed in personal care products labeled “organic.” Despite efforts
like this by Hampton and others, the organic personal care industry is still in need of a makeover.
