What’s the difference between natural and organic cosmetics?
Natural is good, but organic is even better. Many natural products are grown using harmful chemicals, hormones, and other technologies. Some of these chemicals are quite bad for the environment and human health. The term organic is about growing natural products without using harmful agricultural practices.
However, differentiating between natural and organic is not that simple. Just take an example: a person goes to a supermarket to buy fruits and veggies. Of course, one knows that all fruits and veggies are natural. However, one cannot say if they were grown organically or not.
Similarly, with beauty products, one may read the ingredients list and understand if the product is a natural beauty product. However, just by looking at the ingredients, one cannot say if it is an organic cosmetic or not.
What are Natural Cosmetics?
A natural product is about what is in cosmetics. Thus, it essentially means:
- All ingredients are of natural origins, like plants and flowers. However, clay and other mineral sources are also regarded as natural
- Synthetic chemicals, even if they imitate natural products, are not natural
- Similarly, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not natural
- Although natural minerals are good, petroleum products are not considered natural
- Natural cosmetics should never be tested on animals and must be cruelty-free
- Processing should not modify the properties of ingredients significantly
However, it is worth understanding that natural ingredients might go through a lot of processing in many cases. For example, essential oils are natural products. Nevertheless, they are extracted through complex processes.
Generally, a product qualifies as natural if it contains 95% or more natural ingredients. The remaining 5% may include non-natural substances, but they are not necessarily harsh or harmful. This small portion often consists of highly processed natural ingredients or safe synthetic substances, such as vitamins.
What are Organic Cosmetics?
Organic cosmetics are still natural. Thus, they have all the qualities of natural products, as mentioned above. However, organic beauty products have some added requirements, making them even safer.
- Thus, organic products are natural products. However, growers must cultivate and process natural ingredients without using artificial fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or other harmful chemicals.
- They should be free from parabens, sulfates, synthetic chemicals, synthetic colors, and fragrances
- Such products must be free from antibiotics
- Nevertheless, some natural fertilizers are permitted for growing ingredients
- Further, the ingredients of these products must be grown by using sustainable land management
It’s important to understand that checking whether a product is truly organic can be complicated. For example, it's often difficult to know which agricultural methods were used during cultivation. Similarly, traces of pesticides may be challenging to check.
Thus, for example, the European Commission does not consider cosmetics within the scope of organic certification. However, many private companies, organizations, and labs specialize in the certification of organic beauty products. Since organic certification is so complex, certification of organic cosmetics tends to be expensive.
The process of making Natural & Organic Cosmetics
The process of making natural or organic cosmetics would not differ. The primary difference between the two is in the quality of ingredients.
Thus, both natural and organic cosmetics use natural ingredients, extracts. However, organic cosmetics use natural ingredients that were cultivated using organic methods. Therefore, organic cosmetics are less likely to contain antibiotics, traces of pesticides, and other harmful chemicals.
Once the ingredients have been sourced, both the products would be made quite similarly. It would usually involve mixing the products, testing for quality, packing, etc.
Additionally, there would be a difference in the certification process of both these products. Natural products are difficult to certify, but the certification of organic cosmetics is highly challenging.
What is the difference between Natural & Organic Cosmetics?
The difference between natural and organic cosmetics is subtle yet significant. Both may look similar and contain identical ingredients like plant extracts, making it hard to tell them apart from the label alone.
The key distinction lies in ingredient quality and cultivation methods. Natural cosmetics may use ingredients grown with fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, increasing harvests and lowering costs but harming the environment and leaving traces of toxic substances.
Organic cosmetics, however, use ingredients grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. This promotes safer products, sustainable farming, and reduced environmental impact.
Still, the line isn't always clear. Some chemical fertilizers contain organic compounds naturally found in the environment, and many pesticides degrade quickly, leaving no trace.
Moreover, organic farming, while eco-friendly, faces criticism for lower yields and inconsistent ingredient quality. Without chemical aids, organic production may struggle to meet global demand and maintain consistent crop standards.
What are the best natural & organic skincare products?
There are many producers of natural & organic products. Here is some information about such skincare products. It may be helpful for consumers and may motivate those looking to start a cosmetics business to use natural and organic ingredients.
100% Pure makes a range of organic and natural skincare products. One may find eye creams made from organic coffee beans, mascara made of natural pigments, and even hair colors that use extracts of coffee and other natural sources. Neem hair shampoo is quite suitable for improving hair health and preventing dandruff. They use ingredients certified as organic by USDA and packed in recyclable packaging.
Credo Beauty is also a fantastic source of natural and organic products. They have everything from lip balms, creams to various other natural skincare products. They ensure that their products are free from harmful chemicals, something the company calls the dirty list of products. In addition, their products are cruelty-free and not tested on animals.
Juice Beauty has gone even a way forward. Their ingredients are certified organic by USDA, and all packaging is recyclable. They also use wind or solar energy in their production plants. Thus, they ensure that their products have a minimum carbon footprint. It is an excellent example of how the beauty industry can produce amazing, safe, natural products without polluting the planet.
Naturopathica is a European producer of natural and organic skincare products. They focus particularly on the ancient herbal recipes. They have an excellent collection of skincare products like facial masks, products to fight acne, and much more. In addition, they have Ecocert, which is a European certificate for organic ingredients.
About us
At Essentia Pura, we specialize in manufacturing high-quality white-label and private-label CBD products, helping businesses launch their own unique CBD brands. With cutting-edge hemp extraction methods and a commitment to compliance and quality, we support companies in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Whether you’re looking for ready-to-market formulations or custom solutions, we’re here to help you succeed in the growing CBD market.