Is your tallow balm actually organic?

The only way to be 100% sure your skincare is truly organic is to find a USDA Organic logo on it…or commit to some serious sleuthing.

I have been a farmer for 27 years. Always at certified organic farms. 23 year at what is now my “own” farm. I became interested in tallow balm because all the products I looked at and thought about using, had really questionable claims. I know organic laws really well in food production and the truth is...skincare is kind of like the wild west! The lack of regulation really shocked me!

There are no, zero, zilch requirements around using the word “organic” in skincare.

It is regulated in food, and that’s why when you see the word “organic” on a food product, it is ALWAYS backed up with the USDA Organic logo. I think this has trained us to trust the word organic. And our human brains carried it over to skincare...even though there is no backing to the claim. It is also why the word “organic” in skincare is being seriously abused.

My solution was to to make Cosmic Tallow Balm...AND get it certified organic, so you don’t have to wonder about it.

Maybe you found another brand you like and they have the word “organic” in their title or on their website. Can you trust them?

If they have a USDA Organic seal, yes! They’ve been inspected by a third party. No USDA Organic label? Maybe they are trustworthy...but when I start digging on those sites, the claims are easy for my trained eye to dismantle.

So how can you find out if your tallow balm is organic...without spending 27 years learning about the National Organic Program?

1^st step: Look at their ingredients. To be certified organic (or certifiable if they don’t want to go through the process, but claim to be up to the standards) EVERY ingredient has to be certified organic. Including the tallow. I’ve found most of the companies claim to be “organic” and they do use organic oils and essential oils but when I look at their ingredient list, the tallow is not listed as organic. Red flag.

Some mention grass fed and finished, and this is important for higher quality tallow. But...that does not check all the boxes for me. I want to know what the quality of that grass was. Sprayed? Un-sprayed? GMO hay? Organic straw bedding (cows like to eat the straw too!)? These things matter to me. Especially since fat stores toxins!

2^nd step: If a tallow balm maker is claiming “organic tallow”, I’d ask where they get their tallow from. What farm? What butcher? Then go to the USDA Organic Integrity Database and look up the operation. Butchers have to be certified also to complete the process. See if they are actually certified!

3^rd step: Double check step number 2. If you can’t find an operation, ask to see a copy of their Organic Certificate. This gives folks a chance to prove it. If they are cagey about sharing, something is wrong. It is standard industry practice to share a certificate when asked. Give folks the benefit of the doubt until you see a certificate. Your tallow balm maker might not know what name a farm is actually registered under. An honest mistake, still, keep pushing. You need to get to the bottom of it! But dig...for instance, Cosmic Tallow is listed under our farm’s name: Cosmic Apple Gardens.

4^th step: What if they say “we grow organically, but don’t get certified”. My husband and I joke that when someone makes this claim at a farmer’s market, we can talk to them and figure out what they are doing that is not up to organic standards in about 5 minutes. We know…everyone wants to trust the sweet farm down the road who is “regenerative”. But you are rubbing fat on your body! (Again fat stores toxins!) This one is a bit more tricky, and takes some curiosity. Easy questions to ask...and if your tallow balm maker is claiming “organic” they better be able to answer these things!!!

-What do the cows eat?

-Is the grass sprayed? If it is not certified organic grass, do you have a non-spray statement on file? Can you get one?

-Where do they get hay from in the winter? Do you have a non-spray, non GMO statement on file? Can you get one?

-What medications are the cows routinely given?

-If a cow is given medications not up to organic standards, (totally important to save a life sometimes!) how are they kept separate from the rest of the herd at slaughter time? Or is their carcass mixed with the rest of the cows?

-Is the butcher aware of the desire for the animals to be treated “organically”. Are the machines purged of non-organic products before these products go through? What cleaning chemicals are the butchers using?

-Do the cows have any access to pressure treated wood?

-What bedding is used? If it is not certified organic straw, is there a non-spray, non-GMO statement available?

This information can also be used the next time you want to buy meat at a farmer’s market to put into your body.

Okay...that’s a lot of info! Understanding all of this is a lot. Gaining the confidence to ask these questions is a lot. BUT...it’s all so important. Because, what we put on our bodies is as important as what we put in our bodies. That’s why tallow balm is changing the skincare game, because educated consumers like you care.

Cosmic Tallow's Lavender Whipped Tallow Balm  is the ONLY one in the World to achieve the status of Certified 100% Organic. We got it Certified, so you don't have to wonder about it!