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Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve is a USDA Certified Organic Company

The most important consideration in any business is its customers. Today's world of misleading claims, false advertising, and simple deception, often leaves consumers trying to discover the truth about personal products and their ingredients.

• We want our customers to know that we are committed to transparency in everything we do.
• We want our customers to know that when we say "organic," we mean it.
• We believe that in becoming a USDA Certified Organic company, our customers do not have to wonder if we really use certified organic ingredients or if our organic products are truly organic.
• So we choose to be a certified organic company and abide by the strict standards required for organic certification.

Some of my favorite products are made with ingredients that just do not exist as certified organic. Why? At this time there are no standards created for ingredients specifically used in the personal care product industry. Organic certification of personal care products is based on the organic food standards set by the National Organic Program of the USDA.

But since we are a certified organic company, we are required to submit documentation that even our "non-organic ingredients" were produced without the use of toxic pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), sewage sludge, or irradiation.

• Why Most "Organic" Soap Bars Aren't Labeled Organic: Organic Labels Don’t Tell the Whole Story
• Certified Organic Skincare & Labels Decoded
• Why We Chose USDA Organic Certification—and Why It Matters
• Organic Soap & Shampoo: What Really Matters
• Why We Believe in Natural Skin Care

All of Chagrin Valley's natural soap, shampoo bars, and personal care products are certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny.

 Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve has been Leaping Bunny Certified since 2013. 

The Leaping Bunny Program was developed in 1996, by The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), to identify and support companies that are doing their part to help eliminate the unnecessary use and mistreatment of animals to test cosmetic products and ingredients. The CCIC is made up of eight animal protection groups including the Humane Society of the U.S., as well as groups from Canada and Europe.

At Chagrin Valley we do not test our finished products on animals (other than human volunteers). But what about the raw materials, the ingredients we use?

Many products display labels claiming that their finished product is ‘not tested on animals’ but this does not guarantee that the product ingredients are actually free from animal testing. 

The CCIC Standard is a pledge that a company makes to remove animal testing from all stages of product development. Our pledge to buy ingredients that are cruelty-free is integrated into the purchase agreement for all of our suppliers.

Personal care products displaying the “real” Leaping Bunny logo are certified ‘cruelty-free' using the internationally recognized Humane Cosmetics Standards. These rigorous standards require that no animal testing is performed or authorized for finished products or any of the ingredients in any stage of product development by the company, its laboratories or its suppliers after a fixed cut-off date. All Leaping Bunny companies are subject to independent audits and pledge commitments that are renewed on an annual basis.

This annual renewal is a key requirement that sets the Leaping Bunny Program apart from other cruelty-free certification programs. Companies that manufacture products, as well as their ingredient suppliers, must annually recommit to upholding their promise to not conduct animal testing on any finished products, ingredients, or formulations.

Why is this annual commitment renewal important? "Because product formulations change, suppliers come and go, and manufacturers develop innovative lines to meet consumer needs. But we know that compassionate consumers need to be confident that no animal testing is involved in the products they use."

At Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve . . .

• we do NOT test our products on animals
• we do NOT use ingredients tested on animals
• we do NOT sell into markets that require animal testing
  
  

The Leaping Bunny Program provides
the best assurance to consumers
that they are making compassionate shopping choices
by purchasing Cruelty-Free skin care!

Some of our products are seed-oil free, but many contain seed oils, and we choose them with care. Every seed oil we use is USDA Certified Organic and mechanically pressed (cold-pressed or expeller-pressed). Not all seed oils are equal, and the worries you may have heard about seed oils come from how conventional oils are grown and made, not from the seeds themselves.

Where do the concerns about seed oils come from?

Most of the concern comes down to two things:

• How the seeds are farmed. Conventional seed crops such as canola, soybean and corn are often genetically modified (GMO) and grown on large industrial farms using synthetic pesticides and herbicides.
• How the oil is extracted. Most conventional seed oils are pulled from the seed with chemical solvents such as hexane, then refined, bleached and deodorized with more chemicals.

Why those concerns don't apply to our seed oils

• Certified organic: USDA Organic rules prohibit GMOs and synthetic pesticides. They also prohibit extracting oils with solvents like hexane.
• Cold-pressed or expeller-pressed: our seed oils are squeezed from the seed by pressure alone, with no hexane, butane or other chemical solvents.

The result is a high-quality oil that keeps more of the plant's natural nutrients.

Which seed oils do we use?

Organic sunflower, canola, evening primrose, rosehip, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, grapeseed, sesame seed, pomegranate seed and hemp seed oils. Every product page lists every ingredient, so you can always see exactly what's inside. Have a question about canola in particular? See What kind of canola oil do you use?

Everyone's skin is different. If you have sensitive skin or are trying a new product, we recommend a simple patch test.

Want the whole story? Ida explains the seed oil debate, organic vs. conventional farming, and how different extraction methods work in her blog post "Seed Oils in Skin Care: Separating Fact from Fiction."