Natural and organic cosmetics
What is the difference between natural and organic cosmetics ?
Natural cosmetics have an INCI composed totally (or almost) of plant derivatives . In organic cosmetics, these ingredients are all, or partly, obtained through organic farming. There is no law that establishes the amount of natural and organic ingredients that must be contained in cosmetics in order to boast of this denomination; this makes it really difficult to choose.
There are certification bodies that guarantee the naturalness of the product, for example AIAB, in Italy, and ECOCERT, at international level. However, not all truly natural and organic cosmetics are certified; the certifications, in fact, have a cost, which often penalizes the smaller companies. On the other hand, there are advertised as natural cosmetics which, together with a small percentage of plant extracts, have an important content of chemically derived ingredients.
Therefore, the best way to buy truly natural cosmetics is to always read the INCI carefully.
How to read the INCI
By law, the ingredients must be written on the label in descending order, the first on the list will therefore be the one contained in greater quantity. Since the names are often in Latin and not immediately understandable, let's take some concrete examples.
Natural cosmetics may contain:
- Tocopherol (an antioxidant),
- Panthenol (an antistatic),
- Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxid and, Iron Oxide, Ultramarine Blue, are the main ingredients (often the only ones) of mineral foundation and mineral make-up in general.
Natural and organic cosmetics should not contain:
- Parabens (ingredients that contain the word paraben ),
- Petrolati,
- Silicones (ingredients that contain the word siloxane or end in one )
- Antimicrobials (triclosan, bht, bha)
- Chemical dyes (indicated with the initials CI followed by a number)
- Preservatives that release formaldehyde
- Perfumes of chemical derivation.
