What is organic beauty?

What does it mean if a beauty product is organic?

An organic product contains ingredients that have been grown on organic farm

Organic is a way of farming that works with nature. Certified organic farmers and businesses work to a strict set of standards. These ensure that their products sustain the health of wildlife, nature and people.  wildlife and nature

Read on to learn:

• How do I know if a product is organic?
• What's involved in organic certification?
• What does COSMOS organic certification mean?

How do I know if a product is organic?

Look for the organic certification symbols below. The use of the term organic is unregulated for beauty and wellbeing products. Unless a product is certified, there’s no guarantee that it will be 100 percent organic.  So, look for a symbol from an independent certifier, like Soil Association Certification. You'll then know that every step of the production process is checked.

What’s involved in organic certification?

To become certified organic, businesses must meet strict standards. These guarantee that organic ingredients are used whenever possible. Soil Association Certification review the entire manufacturing process each year. This includes sourcing of ingredients, formulation, packaging and premises.

Did you know? Organic certification didn’t actually exist for cosmetics until 2002. The Soil Association launched the first organic cosmetic standards.

What does COSMOS organic certification mean?

COSMOS is the global standard for organic cosmetics. It was set up by Soil Association Certification and four other organisations.

All products with the Soil Association COSMOS logo guarantee: 

• no animal testing 
• no GM (genetically modified) ingredients 
• no controversial chemicals
• no parabens or phthalates 
• no synthetic colours, dyes or fragrances 
• packaging must be recycled and recyclable where possible 
• all palm oil comes from sustainable sources

Learn more about our position on sustainable palm oil.

• Organic vs natural - what's the difference?

  Find out about the differences between the terms 'organic' and 'natural', and how you can be sure that what you're buying is the real deal.

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