Some cosmetic brands have chosen organic certification. Others display the percentage of ingredients of natural origin to respect the principles of Clean Beauty . And there are those who clean up their formulas to ban unwanted ingredients, without displaying certification. It's not always easy to tell the difference. Can a beauty product be clean without being organic and vice versa?
Organic, above all a standard and a certification
Originally, the Cosmebio Charter created in 2002 aimed to promote plant ingredients from organic farming and to ban petrochemical ingredients. Over the years, this standard has been enhanced. The European Cosmos standard, the most widespread and recent, bans all products from petrochemicals (mineral oils, paraffin, silicones, PEG), synthetic preservatives such as parabens or phenoxyethanol, synthetic fragrances and dyes and GMOs. And defines that 95% of the ingredients of a finished product must be of natural origin, 95% of plant materials must be organic and ultimately at least 20% of the finished product (including water). This last standard also includes a whole section devoted to sustainable development by favoring green chemistry and packaging made from recycled materials. These precise specifications are verified by an organization (Ecocert is the best known) which issues a certification to each product. There are other organic labels in Europe, such as Natrue and Nature, and Progrès, and USDA Organic in the United States.
Clean beauty, a more vague concept
Today, there is no definition or charter as precise as for organic cosmetics for clean cosmetics . Everyone is therefore free to interpret it as they wish. But overall, clean beauty includes more responsible cosmetics, with products with cleaner and greener formulas, which are sustainable, fair, eco-responsible and ethical. It embraces broader concepts.
Clean: more security and transparency
It should also be remembered that the movement was born in the United States, where cosmetic regulations are much less restrictive than in Europe, and consumer safety is less well ensured. In response, clean beauty is strongly focused on health and transparency of formulas and production methods: traceability of ingredients, respect for the skin and the environment, product life cycle. In this regard, all controversial ingredients are banned, whether they are suspected of being toxic, polluting or allergenic.
Organic, but not clean, is it allowed?
And yes! Even if the protagonists deny it, you can be certified organic and not meet all the requirements of clean beauty. Indeed, if ingredients of petrochemical origin and the majority of controversial active ingredients are excluded by the Charter, organic does not automatically mean risk-free. The Charter authorizes active ingredients that can be irritating, drying, allergenic or prohibited for pregnant women: thus, preservatives are often replaced by alcohol and essential oils, and sulfates are authorized in washing products.
Furthermore, clean favors short circuits and social responsibility. While many organic companies adhere to it, the fact remains that some ingredients from Brazil, Madagascar or other distant countries are purchased from suppliers, without it being easy to verify respect for both workers and preservation of the environment.
Clean, but not organic, is it possible?
While natural is largely favored by clean beauty, there is no requirement that these plant-based ingredients be certified organic. Furthermore, many clean brands allow themselves biotechnologies which, despite their name, do not fall within the scope of organic. This marriage between the science of living beings and technology (biochemistry, molecular biology) makes it possible to obtain highly effective active ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid or vitamin C for example.
So, we see that if organic and clean have many common elements and a relatively blurred boundary, there are indeed divergences. Some products are clean without necessarily being certified organic and without taking on all the constraints, with regard to the extreme obligation of naturalness. Others are organic without meeting all the requirements of harmlessness and safety for the skin. Finally, the most absolutist combine the two for an ultimate benefit.
