As we move into Organic September hopefully everyone is starting to make their changes. The word ‘organic’ however, is unfortunately very abused and choosing what products to buy can get confusing. It is a shame that there are brands out there who have jumped onto the organic bandwagon, and are deceiving us with clever marketing ploys. There are no government regulations when it comes to labelling beauty products. This means that companies can call their products ‘organic’ regardless of how much organic content there actually is. The Soil Association conducted some research on the UK high street and found some worrying results.
Georgina McLeod, Soil Association campaigns director said; “We found over ten misleading products in popular high street retailers – and this was just on a quick lunchtime trip to the shops. The problem is down to a lack of industry regulation, yet unfairly, consumers are paying the price. People expect more from these manufacturers and retailers. If you buy a beauty product labelled organic, you expect it to be just that.”
In their research they found many products labelled organic and natural were far from it. Many contained suspect ingredients such as parabens and phthalates along with other harsh preservatives and such like. Some actually contained NO organic ingredients at all. American hair brand Organix has just been banned in the American state of California for that very reason, you can still buy the products here.
This is where organic certification can really help. If a product has been certified organic by a reputable organisation, you know that you can trust what the label says. The Soil Association is the certifying body in the UK and they are trying to stop ‘green washing’ in the beauty industry. This weekend is their Organic Beauty Weekend, which is about highlighting and celebrating genuine organic and beauty brands. Look on their website for various events up and down the country – http://www.soilassociation.org/smallchangesbigdifference/organicbeautyweekend
Reading labels on beauty products should be just as important as reading labels on our food. Don’t just believe any marketing hype, really look, are they a genuine product? There are many organic certifying bodies across the globe, each have varying standards. Here is a guide to the main ones.
(I can’t take the credit for this guide – thank Imelda from Content who wrote this back when this blog was Edit4Beauty. Thank you Imelda :))
Organic skincare certification for personal care items can be confusing. The process is similar to that of the organic food industry, but unlike the certifications for organic food, organic skincare is not government regulated nor is there global harmonization. An understanding of the different types certifications and rules makes your choice as a consumer easier.
- The minimum percentage of organic content required within a product
- The percentage of synthetic ingredients acceptable under certification
- Ingredients that are excluded from use in products
- The manufacturing processes which can be used in the creation of ingredients and the end product
- Whether water can or cannot be included in the calculation for the organic percentage of the product
Part of the requirements also include the regular auditing by a third-party organic certifier of both the manufacturers ingredients and processes to ensure it is compliant with all the rules of the certification standard.
- No animal testing
- No ingredients derived from an animal unless produced without harm to the animal eg honey and beeswax
- Avoidance of GM ingredients
- Consideration for how the ingredients are grown and harvested
- Environmentally friendly packaging requirements
Today there are a number of international organizations with organic skincare certification standards. Below we
have compiled summaries of the six most commonly seen on the shelves.
Labels: SOIL ASSOCIATION Organic includes the ‘Made with
Organic ingredients’ Label
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Business Type: Non-Profit
Web: soilassociation.org
The Soil Association is a standard for ‘organic’ and ‘made with organic’ ingredients. Limited amounts of synthetic preservatives and ingredients are allowed, for example benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid and phenoxyethanol. Excludes water in calculation of organic content.
- Organic – must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients.
- Made with Organic Ingredients – must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients.
Labels: USDA 100% Organic, USDA Organic and USDA Made with Organic
Country of Origin: USA
Business Type: Government
Web: ams.usda.gov
USDA NOP is a food standard with three certification variations. Limited amounts of synthetics are allowed in ‘organic’ and ‘made with organic’. Excludes water and salt in calculation of organic content.
- 100% Organic – must contain only organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt).
- Organic – must contain at least 95 percent organically produced ingredients (excluding water and salt). Limited amounts of synthetics are allowed from the approved National List.
- Made with Organic Ingredients must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients, but cannot display the USDA seal on packaging.
Labels: NATRUE Natural, NATRUE Natural with Organic Portion and NATRUE Organic
Country of Origin: Brussels / International Standard
Business Type: Non-Profit
Web: natrue.org
NATRUE is a cosmetic standard that requires 100 percent certified pure natural and derived natural (natural origin) plus some limited nature-identical* as a baseline for entry. Excludes water and salt in calculation of natural and organic content. 3 star system
- Organic Cosmetics (3 stars) – guarantees at least 95 percent of the natural ingredients stem from controlled organic production.
- Natural with organic portion (2 stars) – guarantees at least 70 percent of the natural ingredients stem from organic production.
- Natural Cosmetics (1 star) – requires 100 percent certified pure natural and derived natural (natural origin) plus some limited nature-identical*
- Natural standard – A minimum of 50% of all plant-based ingredients in the formula and a minimum of 5% of all ingredients by weight must come from organic farming.
- Natural / Organic standard A minimum of 95% of all plant-based ingredients in the formula and a minimum of 10% of all ingredients by weight must come from organic farming.
Labels: BDIH Natural. No certification for Organic
Country of Origin: Germany
Business Type: Profit. Membership required.
Web: bdih.org
BDIH requires 100 percent natural origin/nature identical* to gain the “natural” standard. No organic content is required for certification but BDIH requires manufacturers to use organic content wherever possible. Nature Identical preservatives such as benzyl alcohol and salicylic acid can be used along with natural preservatives.
Labels: COSMOS Organic and COSMOS Natural
Country of Origin: Brussels
/ Europe
Business Type: Non-Profit
Web: cosmos-standard.org
COSMOS is the first European Harmonized Standard for organic beauty created by the first five EU organic beauty certifiers – BDIH, Soil Association, CosmeBio, EcoCert and ICEA. COSMOS is a cosmetic standard for organic and natural ingredients. Limited synthetics are allowed in the “Organic” and”Natural” standard for some product types. Excludes minerals in calculation of organic content. Logo is as as the five certifiers with the addition of the COSMOS stamp.
- COSMOS Organic – must contain at least 95 percent physically processed agro-ingredients must be organically produced, while a minimum of 20 percent of total ingredients by weight must be organic with exception for wash off products which is 10%.
- COSMOS Natural – may contain natural/organic ingredients, but does not allow active marketing of organic content.
