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OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland based Center for Environmental Health sued 26 personal care products manufacturers for selling products, it charges, violate California’s organic labeling law that requires at least 70 percent organic ingredients.

The center said that though foods and food supplements are well regulated, personal care products are not.

“We found dozens of shampoos, lotions and toothpaste and other personal care products labeled as organic, yet, these products contain few or no organic products,” said Charles Margulis of the Center for Environmental Health. “Unfortunately, they’re taking advantage of lax enforcement of the rules in California.”

The proof of this is in the packaging itself which in these products do not show the required amount of organic ingredients, according the center.

“The ingredients lists show the ingredients by the order of predominance so the ingredients are lessers as they father down the list,” Margulis added.

At Lakeshore Natural Foods in Oakland, certified nutrionist Pat Lennox said she worries about other words such as pure, healthful and especially natural.

“There are companies I see on television advertising all the time that claim to be natural that have a bunch of crap in them quite frankly,” Lennox said.