Beauty has multiple forms but synthetic should not have to be one of them. (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock) The beauty industry offers numerous products, with additional new launches happening every day. But of late, there has been a lot of conversation around clean beauty which essentially involves using products that do not contain toxic ingredients like SLS, parabens and phthalates.
But within the same exist two kinds of products — natural and organic — which makes it important to understand the difference between the two. Doing so, not only makes one aware of the ingredients but also their efficacy, which are the two most important factors to consider before buying any beauty product.
To simplify it for you, Caroleen Gomes, founder, Rêvées Clive decodes them both. Read on.
What are natural products?
Natural products are formulated with ingredients that originate naturally or are derived from natural substances such as plants, marine, micro-organisms, fungi, bacteria, or animals.
“The term ‘natural’, however, is not regulated in the cosmetics industry. While a product that contains ‘natural’ and ‘all-natural’ ingredients is good, lack of regulation makes it difficult to identify,” said Gomes, adding that it is highly likely that when a product claims to be natural, it may not be so unless it has a recognized certification body on the label.
“Natural products should not have toxins such as sulphate (SLS/SLES), silicone (dimethicone, cyclomethicone, etc), parabens, phthalates, BHT, DMDM, mineral oil, petroleum by-products etc,” she said.
What are organic products?
Organic products are made using ingredients that are grown using organic farming methods with no use of pesticides, genetically modified organisms or synthetic fertilizers.
It doesn’t contain any artificial colour/fragrance or chemicals like sulphate, parabens, and silicones, just like natural products. “However, the term organic is not unregulated and has independent certification bodies that exist which provide ingredients and product organic certification,” she told indianexpress.com.
Gomes said, “Instead of just going by the word ‘organic’ on the product, look for COSMOS/ ECO-certified, USDA Certified Organic.” She added that a product label with the organic certified seal is made with at least 70 per cent of certified ingredients
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