Whole Foods develops Premium Body Care standard to guide consumers

AUSTIN, Texas Looking to help beauty shoppers navigate the often confusing landscape of natural and organic personal care products, Whole Foods has developed a new Premium Body Care standard and labeling seal of approval.

“Personal care products are not regulated like food in this country so there are currently no consistent standards for them laid forth by any governing body. Customers have been bombarded with brands and products claiming to be ‘natural,’ which can be confusing,” stated Jeremiah McElwee, senior global Whole Body coordinator.

The new seal of approval can be found on nearly 1,200 products in the retailer’s Whole Body departments, which offers a selection of personal care items, nutritional supplements and vitamins. The seal identifies products that meet the Premium Body Care standard, meaning they do not contain ingredients such as parabens, polypropylene and polyethylene glycols, sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates. To develop the standard, Whole Foods worked with chemists and body care experts for more than two years, reviewing body care ingredients and labeling information.

A variety of the products in the Whole Body department already met the standard and will now include the new seal on its packaging.