Decoding Green Seals

Natural Products Association

The organization: A nonprofit founded in 1936 that represents thousands of retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors of natural products, including cosmetics.

What's in the product: At least 95 percent natural ingredients (defined as renewable flora, fauna, or minerals that have not been processed using synthetic chemicals).

What's not: Synthetic ingredients (includes parabens, phthalates, and sodium laureth sulfate) that have a suspected potential health risk, like endocrine disruption, or those (like chemical sunscreens) for which an effective natural alternative exists.

Animal testing: No

A few who've earned it: Certain products from Burt's Bees, Aubrey Organics, and J.R. Watkins.