It is true that companies making organic claims on personal care products are not required to be certified or follow the USDA/NOP regulations. The governing law is the Organic Foods Production Act, which set in motion the writing of standards to regulate organic production and the labeling of organic food products, which took effect in 2002. USDA has not issued standards for organic personal care products. As you point out, FDA, not USDA, regulates personal care products, and they have not yet addressed the issue.
That said, USDA has gone on record stating that personal care products that are produced, processed, and certified according to NOP food regulations, (with at least 95% organic content and using only approved minor ingredients on the National List of Approved Substances), can be certified and carry the USDA Organic seal. If you want to purchase organic personal care products that comply with NOP regulations, look for the USDA Organic seal. The name of the USDA-accredited certification agency must appear on the back of the product. Be aware that there are also organically labeled personal care products that do not meet the organic food regulations. These may contain some organic ingredients, with synthetic or natural ingredients that are not allowed. Since there is no oversight on organic personal care product labeling, the product may or may not meet the current regulation so look for the USDA Organic seal.
