Adam Smith Institute

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We thought this was an interesting little gambit from the Soil Association

The Soil Association undertakes a survey which finds out that some cosmetics which claim they've got organic bits in them aren't, by the standards of the Soil Association, entirely organic. The respondents then say they're not happy about this and possibly there should be some rigor in what is described as organic:

Beauty brands including Boots have been accused of misleading customers by falsely labelling products as organic.

Ingredients not certified as organic – and even linked to health problems – were found in a range of cosmetics apparently claiming to be all-natural.

The research for the Soil Association revealed High Street brands including The Organic Pharmacy, Dr Organic and Faith in Nature, were using the word on packaging for shampoos and sunscreens containing potentially harmful ingredients

...

Unlike organic food, which must adhere to strict EU standards, it is not illegal to label a beauty product organic when it is not. But items can be certified as organic by organisations such as the Soil Association.

Yet 69 per cent of people surveyed by the group said they felt misleading labelling should be against the law.

Possibly this is some outrage which should be banned by the law. Or perhaps it is something else. You see, the Soil Association sells those organic certifications. Indeed, they're expanding their operation in doing so.

Isn't that just what every young commercial operation needs, a law insisting that people must use it? 

Of course, we've no objection whatever to anyone applying whatever sort of woo they wish to their lives. But we really do object to it being the law that someone must be paid to certify the delusions.

An interesting gambit by the Soil Association but one which deserves to fail.