Organic Monitor is hosting its first-ever Natural Cosmetics Masterclass in North America next month. Taking place in New York City September 29-30, the Masterclass aims to demystify natural and organic cosmetic standards for personal care and ingredient firms.

A large number of products are marketed on natural and organic claims; however, Organic Monitor found that few such products would meet the requirements of natural and organic standards. Some brand owners are using organic ingredients to promote their products as organic, although the formulations remain conventional, Organic Monitor said.

Judi Beerling, head of technical research at Organic Monitor, will critically review the various natural and organic cosmetic standards in North America and other regions. Her workshop will give precise details of the adoption criteria in terms of permissible and prohibited ingredients, processes and formulations. Guidance will be given on ‘cleaning up’ product formulations, especially replacing synthetic chemicals such as parabens, SLS, SLES, etc. The workshop will also scrutinize the ingredient composition of leading organic, natural and semi-natural brands to see if they stand up to their marketing claims.

The second workshop in the Natural Cosmetics Masterclass will focus on the “Business Openings in the Global Market for Natural and Organic Cosmetics.” The workshop will give a global analysis, highlighting the major market trends and developments, and outline the business opportunities to existing participants and new entrants.

Organized by Organic Monitor, this new Masterclass will be hosted alongside HBA Global Expo 2010. It will take place September 29-30 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Registration is limited to 50 delegates per workshop. Since 2008, Organic Monitor has been hosting Natural Cosmetic Masterclasses at various international locations that include London, Paris, Nuremberg and Bologna.

More details on the Natural Cosmetics Masterclass can be found at www.organicmonitor.com/masterclass7.htm.

Lily Organics (Brighton, CO) is setting the bar for organic skin care companies and USDA Organic Certifications, with its announcement that it is the first skin care company to obtain all three USDA Certified Organic Farm, USDA Certified Organic Processor and Handler for the Laboratory, and USDA Certified Organic Skin Care Product certifications.

“Quality comes from long lasting results on your skin, certified organic ingredients, from the love and care of real people handcrafting each batch, freshness, the expertise in formulations, and the authenticity of the and company that make it,” said the company in a statement. “We have met and surpassed every criteria to solidly establish Lily Organics as the best skin care products in the world.”

Lily Morgan, founder and formulator of Lily Organics, is the author of Beauty, Health, and Happiness-A way of life. For more information, call (303) 668-1128 or visit www.lilyorganics.com.

The federal current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) regulation (21 CFR 111) requires that all dietary ingredients be tested or examined to verify identity prior to use in a finished product. In order to assist manufacturers and suppliers in meeting this requirement, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) will present a two-day, hands-on, educational training program, “Microscopic Identification of Popular Botanical Materials.” The program is scheduled on the weekend of November 13-14 at the University of Southern California’s School of Pharmacy in Los Angeles, CA.

Information will be presented in morphological groups such as barks, roots, leaves, seeds, etc., and their characteristic microscopic components. The basic structure of the various tissue types will be discussed and identified using actual examples from a vast database of microscopic botanical images. Information will be briefly reviewed regarding equipment, chemicals and supplies needed to start with if time permits and/or if requested. Participants will spend a significant amount of time during the program conducting hands-on training using a microscope. The program’s overall goal is to have participants leave with the experience necessary to confidently conduct microscopic analysis on a variety of popular botanical ingredients.

Other program goals include giving beginning to intermediate microscopists the skills and ability to confidently and competently analyze popular botanical ingredients often used in commercial products and providing hands-on experience. Participants will analyze botanical materials and learn the following skills:

• Sample preparation and review
• Identification of adulterated materials, including common fillers used to cut materials (flow agents and soluble excipients)
• Connecting the dots: Comparing a certificate of analysis and specifications to microscopic analytical results
• General background on microscopy and use of a microscope
• Identification of appropriate reference resources
• Voucher specimens
• Published references

Laboratory personnel, QA/QC personnel, dietary supplement companies looking for economical means to comply with the GMP requirements regarding establishing identity, or anyone with an interest in utilizing microscopy as a tool for the identification of botanicals are encouraged to attend.

For more information, visit www.ahpa.org.

Participants from across the food and nutrition sector, academics and regulators, are invited to attend the European Food Law Association’s (EFLA) 18th annual congress entitled “Private food law—Non-regulatory dimensions of food law,” a two-day master session on the emergence of private food law in regulation September 16-17 in Amsterdam.

The congress will focus on private law and its increasing importance in self-regulating commercial communications, advertising for foods and beverages, as well as defining regulation.

“Our long-standing congress will provide some useful insights into the emergence of private food law in food regulation. Emerging private food law in regulation is a relatively unexplored area, but it is having such an impact on our sector and so becomes very relevant for our day-to-day dealings with legislation,” said Guy Valkenborg, secretary general of EFLA.

Speakers from national authorities, European Commission, food lawyers, leading academics and the industry will discuss topics such as the unexpected rise of private food law, private food safety standards and self-imposed regulation.

To register or for further information on the conference, visit www.efla-aeda.org or contact the organizers directly at secretariat@efla-aeda.org.