Do you know the difference between natural and organic cosmetics?

 

The beauty industry nowadays is moving more and more in a sustainable direction and we love that but there are a lot of misconceptions and misleading information regarding this topic.

It is very common to get eluded by marketing claims if you are not sure what a natural product means and what an organic product stands for. That’s why we would like to take a moment to look through this together. Let's start by acknowledging that natural cosmetics can, but don't have to, be organic, whereas organic cosmetics are always natural, don’t worry we will explain!

A natural product is made of natural ingredients from a natural source. Typically you can find ingredients like vegetable oils, butter, waxes, extracts and more. All of these ingredientes can come directly from nature and be considered natural but for them to be organic they must follow some strict specifications like farming conditions, restrictive usage of pesticides, sustainable extraction processes and so on. If you consider water as an example, a large part of cosmetic products are made with large quantities of water which is considered natural but not organic. That’s why you should be aware of 100% organic claims since the probability for that is very minimal. 

So what does it take for a natural product to be organic and how to make sure the product is actually organic?

Nowadays there are many different companies that can certify a product or raw material as organic. These entities have strict rules and specifications that the suppliers must follow to make sure that their products meet those standards and are able to be certified. We are sure that you can recognize a few of these companies:

Source: DSM 2018 

As a sustainable conscious company, at Sowé we make sure that all of our ingredients are certified by a recognized entity. All of our ingredients are selected very carefully taking into account the supplier's sustainable practices, extraction processes, the source of the ingredient and whether the ingredient is certified organic and we can proudly say that all Sowe’s ingredients are organic and Ecocert Certified. 

Ecocertified manufacturers focus on effective waste management, energy usage, maintaining ecological balance, biodegradable materials, and minimizing contaminants (heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, nitrosamines) and are audited twice a year to make sure they are following the requirements of the organic certification standard. As curiosity, we leave you here a list of some of the requirements of the ecocert certification:

  • All processes (including harvest, extraction methods, etc.) are audited and Ecocertified
  • No synthetic fragrances, colors, petroleum derivatives, polymers, parabens or other potentially harmful substances
  • Absolutely no animal testing
  • Only animal by-products that do not directly question animals' lives and whose use do not adversely affect the ecological balance can still be used (bee wax, honey, milk, etc.)

This provides us reassurance that we work with the best quality natural and organic ingredients for our formulations. Find out more about our ingredients by visiting our website and our ingredient library.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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