Driven by increasing demands for clean label products the organic beauty market is steadily growing at 10% per annum and is expected to be worth $22 billion by 2024.
As more and more people become increasingly aware of the danger of chemicals and toxins in their “day-to-day” use of skin care products, we see consequently, the number of consumers preferring green labels expands globally.
Unfortunately, however, many unscrupulous companies make use of a legal loophole in relation to a lack of regulation for cosmetic products through the use of potentially ‘misleading’ claims on their packaging. Many are unaware of the fact that not every product, that displays the word “organic” on its label, genuinely contains organic ingredients.
So how does one go about choosing genuine organic skincare products to avoid being scammed?
Here are a few tips for you:
- LOOK FOR THE CERTIFIED LOGO
The beauty industry is not regulated for authenticity in terms of toxin-free ingredients. Cosmetics which claims to be organic are currently not required by legislation to be certified as organic within Europe or in the United States.
The European Soil Association, BDIH, Cosmebio, Ecocert and ICEA have formed an internationally recognised cosmetic organic standard known as COSMOS to guarantee that cosmetic companies are transparent to their consumers and that their products meet the standards they claim to adhere to.
Basically, it is the choice of the company to go with the certification or not, and in my opinion if there’s nothing to hide there’s no harm! Thus, one of the easiest ways to spot if a beauty product is genuinely organic or not is to look for the official logo of one of these organisations (European Soil Association, BDIH, Cosmebio, Ecocert or ICEA) along with the COSMOS Organic logo on the packaging which should technically speaking be on all cosmetic product packaging and labeling claiming to be organic.
- NAMES LIKE “PLANT-BASED”, “NATURAL”, “GREEN” CAN BE MISLEADING
Don’t be misled by names and logos like “natural”, “herbal”, “green” – which are all vague terms with no official definition for use within cosmetics. The reality being numerous brands use this tactic to gain consumers, so always be mindful to check the ingredients and any available certification. It’s better to spend a bit more time reading the small print on the package carefully than purchasing a product that can potentially harm your health.
- GO TO ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP TO CHECK THE LEVEL OF TOXINS YOUR DESIRED PRODUCT CONTAINS
ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP http://www.ewg.org/ is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. Their Deep Cosmetics Database is a great resource where you can find most popular cosmetic products rated on a scale of 0-10, depending on their toxicity. I personally enjoy this website resource as happens occasionally you may like a particular product but not sure if it’s healthy and beneficial for your skin, so it’s tremendously helpful with simply a click to find out how healthy or harmful your favourite product actually is.
- ALWAYS READ “INGREDIENTS” ON THE PACKAGE
This is probably the most important rule. Never buy any skin care products without reading the “ingredients” on its package. There is a list of commonly used harmful ingredients in beauty products that you can either remember or perhaps keep on your phone so that you can avoid potentially buying cosmetics containing dangerous components.
- GO FOR THE NON-TOXIC RECYCLABLE PACKAGE
According to standards genuine organic products will always use recyclable packaging with their products, which is normally mentioned on their packaging. It can be glass or recyclable food-safe plastic. They never use non-recyclable material, specifically PVC known as “the poison plastic” as it is considered a great environmental and health danger clearly contradicting the organic regulations and standards.
