Organic and natural skincare - Everything you need to know
Organic and natural skincare has grown in popularity the recent years, and more companies choose to expand their range with natural or organic private label products, inside skincare, and personal care.
Every day an average person uses up to 10 beauty products, and with the skin, as the largest organ of the body, many consumers have become more aware of what they apply to the skin.
It can be a bit of a jungle navigating in terms and ingredients when you shall develop new beauty products. When is a product organic, and are all natural ingredients a good choice in skincare?
Let’s find out.
What are the differences between natural and organic skincare?
It can be complicated to tell the difference between natural and organic skincare. Beauty products do often have both words on the label, which means we often connect the two words, but natural and organic means two very different things.
A skincare product can be both organic and natural, but in the same way, it can contain natural ingredients and not be organic.
What are natural ingredients?
Let’s start with the natural ingredients.
For an ingredient to be natural, its origin must come from nature, which means it shall come from plants or other natural sources. A natural ingredient can also be organic if it is grown according to organic standards.
Natural ingredients are often used in skincare products because they contain many benefits for the skin, such as vitamins and antioxidants.
It is vital to be aware that not all natural ingredients are great for the skin. Some natural ingredients can evoke allergies and they do often contain perfumes, which can also lead to allergies.
If you want to certify your natural skincare products, is it a great idea to decide which natural ingredients you want to use in your private label skincare and whether they can be certified.
Natural ingredients can come from:
- Aloe Vera
- Coconut oil
- Ginger
- Jojoba oil
What are organic ingredients?
For an ingredient to be organic, it must be grown organically.
The ingredients must be produced according to the rules within organic production before they can be termed organic.
Skincare products that contain organic ingredients are not only beneficial for the skin but also for the environment.
Organic ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, which means you reduce the toxic substances in the environment while also reducing your exposure to toxins.
You should be aware that organic skincare, like natural skincare, can evoke allergies, as the organic ingredients are extracted from plants or flowers, which often contain allergenic substances.
There is no official government-approved organic label on cosmetics, neither in Denmark nor the EU, like there is food, but in 2011 the Danish Consumer Ombudsman issued a guide for when a product may be called organic.
A skincare product shall contain 95% ingredients or raw materials derived from vegetable or animal production to be claimed organic. The water added to the products does not count. If the product does not contain 95% vegetable or animal ingredients, is it allowed to write what percentages of an ingredient are organic, but the product must not be claimed organic.
There is no Danish organic certification for cosmetics and skincare products. If you want an organic certification on your product, can you choose to certify it with the Ecocert certification.
Ecocert is a recognized certification that is used internationally on beauty products. The Ecocert certification is a guide for the consumers, so they easily can see if a product is organic or natural. Ecocert has two different certifications, COSMOS ORGANIC and COSMOS NATURAL, which distinguish between different standards for the organic certifications.
