The who's who of natural cosmetics
Natural cosmetics, bio cosmetics, ecological, organic, vegan, toxic-free, healthy, sustainable cosmetics… we could go on, but do we really know what all these adjectives mean? That natural is in fashion is a fact, and it is also something that makes us happy at Herbera: if collective consciousness is awakening in favor of our planet and our health, always […]
Natural cosmetics, bio cosmetics, ecological, organic, vegan, toxic-free, healthy, sustainable cosmetics... we could go on, but do we really know what all these adjectives mean? It is a fact that natural is trending, and this is something that makes us at Herbera happy: if the collective conscience is awakening in favor of our planet and our health, that is always good news. But be careful, because not all natural cosmetics are equally healthy, and not all brands that call themselves natural truly are.
Do you want to know how to translate all these words that seem to want to mean the same thing?
We give you the keys to understand it:
What are natural cosmetics?
Nowadays, it is such a hackneyed term that it is difficult to establish a criterion for what is and what is not natural cosmetic. In theory, natural cosmetics are those that have 90% ingredients of plant or animal origin (produced by them naturally). In practice, anyone with a single ingredient of this origin puts the "natural cosmetic" label on themselves. That is why it is interesting for the product to be certified, as the seal gives us the guarantee that it is truly a natural cosmetic. If it does not contain a seal, the only way to know if it really is, is to research the INCI of their products, and if you believe they are making abusive use of this adjective, please say it loud and clear, because that is what social media and the democratization of the media should be for.
Organic, ecological, or bio cosmetics?
These three adjectives mean exactly the same thing, but in each part of the world, one is used more than the others. In Spain, people talk more about ecological products; in other European countries like France, the term "bio" is used more; and in the U.S., "organic" is preferred.
But what do these three words entail? Well, like the above, it depends on whether the product is certified or not. If it is not certified, there are brands that put the "organic" or "ecological" label on themselves even if their percentage of ecological ingredients is very low. Conversely, we can also find brands that have not been certified but have a high % of raw materials from organic farming. Therefore, we must once again look at the INCI on the label to check what they contain. Three basic premises to keep in mind to interpret the INCI:
- The ingredients are in Latin, listed from highest to lowest quantity.
- An asterisk (*) next to an ingredient means that it is organic.
- Two asterisks (**) next to an ingredient mean that it is a component that is naturally present in essential oils.
Certifying seals have managed to provide guarantees and prestige to cosmetics, requiring that the information reaching the client be as clear and truthful as possible. Each certifying body has standards for defining what is considered natural cosmetics and what is considered ecological or organic cosmetics. We tell you the minimums established by the main certifying bodies to consider a cosmetic ecological:
Ecocert: to obtain the Ecocert ecological seal, at least 10% of all ingredients must be organic. 95% of the vegetable ingredients in the formula must come from organic farming.
Natrue: To obtain their ecological seal, at least 95% of the certifiable ingredients must be organic. At least 20% must be ingredients of vegetable origin, and a maximum of 15% can be substances derived from the processing of natural raw materials.
Soil Association: at least 95% of the certifiable ingredients must be organic. The peculiar thing about this seal is that it allows chemical transformations of natural raw materials and even some controversial synthetics.
It must be said that they all allow a minimum of synthetic ingredients, having previously demonstrated that there is no possibility of replacing them with a natural ingredient... but why use phenoxyethanol when there are numerous studies that demonstrate its topical toxicity?
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/2-phenoxyethanol#section=Antidote-and-Emergency-Treatment
ACENE: To obtain their ecological seal, at least 22% of the certifiable ingredients must be organic and 99% must be natural.
BioInspecta/ BioVidasana: To obtain their ecological seal, at least 90% of the certifiable ingredients must be organic.
All these certifying bodies emerged as a response to the lack of European-level legislation regulating eco-natural cosmetics. And although they all ensure some minimums, it is important to know the particularities of each one to know what is behind each seal.
Guarantees of a label with an Ecological seal:
- They will not have been irradiated.
- They will not have been tested on animals.
- They will not contain GMO ingredients or ingredients made with GMOs.
- They will not contain nanoparticles.
- Their manufacturing process will not have harmed the environment.
- In addition, you are betting on organic farming as a way of conserving the planet and supporting all the farmers who make the effort to cultivate and earn a living in this way (which is quite a bit harder than with intensive crops).
At Herbera, we have fought to obtain the BioInspecta seal, which follows the Biovidasana regulations (if you want more information, we tell you about it here)
What are vegan cosmetics?
Vegan cosmetics are those that, of course, do not test any of their products on animals and have verified that none of the ingredients used to manufacture their cosmetics have ever been tested on animals. In addition, they cannot contain any ingredients of animal origin in their composition (whale sperm, collagen, hyaluronic acid of marine or bovine origin, etc.) or have been produced from them (such as beeswax or honey). At Herbera, we are convinced that we do not need to use any ingredient of animal origin to achieve great results in cosmetics; we consider ourselves 100% vegan.
For Herbera, there is one thing that should predominate above all else, and that is consistency and responsibility. That is why we call on all users of natural cosmetics: we must demand consistency between what is promised and what is actually offered, whether you are certified or not.
Are you joining our movement for a more consistent world?
https://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/consumer_safety/docs/sccs_o_195.pdf
http://aceneasociacion.org/certificacion-ecologica/
