With the incredible growth of the green beauty movement, cosmetic companies literally bombard customers with huge amounts of sometimes confusing information. It is understandable that uninformed clients can get a little lost and mistakenly buy products that are not what they were expecting.
When you buy cosmetics labeled as “natural”, are they really natural, or are they “naturally derived”? How about “nature identical”?
In cosmetics there is no strict, legal definition of the word “natural”. It can mean any number of different things, depending on the marketing strategy of the manufacturer and sellers. Manufacturers don’t need to prove anything to claim that their cosmetics are natural. Truthfully, the understanding of “natural” really depends on the ethos of each company.
To better understand how different “natural” products can be from one another let’s look at four different approaches cosmetic manufacturers can go for:
– The first, most pure approach, implies that a manufacturer simply harvest a plant and use it in their formulations. All cold pressed oils fall into this category, as their chemistry after extraction remains unchanged. They were just pressed out from the seed and used in the final product – easy and simple. The ingredient stays in its original chemical structure and shape.
If you would like to opt only for these kinds of ingredients in your cosmetics, your options are limited to anhydrous products (products without any water). It means face and body oils, serums and butters are the products you are looking for. However, products like creams and lotions are a no-no for this category.
– The second approach includes the use of “naturally derived” ingredients – it simply means that the ingredients after being harvested, go through some sort of chemical reaction (for example hydrolysis or fermentation). Emulsifiers (which mix two fluids together that don’t want to be mixed, like oil and water, so you can make creams or lotions) and preservatives (their use is necessary in any cosmetic with water) fall under this category of ingredients.
– The third approach includes the use of “nature identical” ingredients – these are for all purposes chemically identical to the ones found in nature. The difference is, they are produced in a lab instead, which is usually cheaper and faster. Another reason for this approach are the amounts of certain ingredients required by the industry, which are massive and impracticable to acquire by other means.
– The fourth and most “gray zone” like approach, includes ingredients that despite being derived from plants, undergo chemical changes in such a way that they mimic their synthetic counterparts. Yes, it sounds weird… They are used to enhance active ingredients, in order to penetrate deeper into your skin or to give your cream an outstanding skin feel.
As we can see, claims of “100% natural” made by many companies, may not always be aligned with your own expectations of “natural” and what you want in your cosmetics. The best way to know what you’re buying, is to check the ingredients list of each product and, if in doubt about it, get in touch with the manufacturer. Checking ingredients can be tricky at times – especially with all the weird, sometimes unpronounceable names – but it is something that can be learnt, and with practice it will help you choose the best “natural” options for you.
Here’s a thought, source your cosmetics from indie brands, as they usually pay a lot of attention to what exactly is being put into their formulations. They tend to be very transparent and are normally happy to help you out with your doubts, it case you have any.
