Objective: To promote natural and organic ingredients, respect for the environment and high ethical values
Objective: To protect and promote pure and authentic natural skincare
Objective: To promote the use of products from organic farming, respect biodiversity and use clean production processes that respect human health and the environment
Objective: To provide guidance on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients
In France, the Professional Advertising Regulatory Authority (ARPP) distinguishes between “organic”, “organic origin”, “natural” and “natural origin”.
What is an Organic Cosmetic Product According to the ARPP?
According to the ARPP Law, a cosmetic product can be considered “organic” if it meets at least one of the following conditions:
- It contains 100% certified organic ingredients (according to the standards of specific certification bodies, such as NATRUE and COSMOS);
- It is certified as “organic” by a certification body;
- It is proven that the cosmetic product has been produced with organic ingredients equivalent to the levels required by the certification bodies in terms of composition and content.
It is important to note that in most cases, in products certified as “organic”, we can only find 20% of the “organic” content in the formula. Although this low percentage may seem low, some cosmetic products contain a high concentration (60% to 80%) of water, which, although natural, does not come from plants but is assimilated into a mineral and therefore cannot be “organic”. If one or more ingredients in a product are “organic”, the “organic” claim should appear only next to the relevant ingredient(s), so as not to imply that the entire product is “organic”.
What is a Natural Cosmetic Product According to ARPP?
A “natural” product contains ingredients obtained from nature (i.e. from plant, mineral or animal sources).
- A cosmetic product is natural if it contains at least 95% of natural ingredients within the meaning of the ISO 16128 standard or any standard at least as valid.
- A cosmetic product is natural if it contains at least 95% of ingredients of natural origin within the meaning of the ISO 16128 standard or any standard at least as valid.
What is the Difference Between a Natural Ingredient and a Naturally Sourced Ingredient?
“Natural” means that the ingredient has not been processed beyond traditional mechanical processes, such as extraction by water extraction. Physical processes (such as distillation, milling, and drying) and fermentation reactions (which occur in nature) are accepted. In contrast, a “naturally sourced” ingredient is a natural ingredient that has been altered by a chemical reaction. That is, it has undergone molecular transformations. For example, the ingredient has been extracted by a non-natural method (such as with a solvent).
“Not every natural ingredient is an organic ingredient, but all organic ingredients are definitely natural.”
ISO 16128 Standard
ISO 16128 provides guidelines to help cosmetic suppliers and manufacturers make natural or organic content claims and provide evidence of good practice when they do not wish to certify their products as natural/organic based on criteria set by an independent organization. ISO 16128 is implemented on a voluntary basis. It is divided into two parts.
- The first part (ISO 16128-1) was published in 2016 and includes technical definitions and criteria for “natural”, “naturally sourced”, “organic” and “organic sourced” ingredients.
- The second part (ISO 16128-2) was published in 2017 and describes approaches to calculating “natural”, “naturally sourced”, “organic” and “organic sourced” indices. It also provides a framework for determining the “natural”, “naturally sourced”, “organic” and “organic sourced” content of products based on content characterization.
Unlike private organizations, ISO 16128 does not require any certification. There is no logo to be affixed to the finished product. However, it is possible to include the terms natural or organic on product packaging. Finally, it does not specify any minimum percentage of natural or organic ingredients to determine whether the product is natural or organic.
How to Calculate the Natural Degree Ratio of a Cosmetic Product Within the Scope of ISO 16128 Standard?
To calculate the “natural degree” of a cosmetic product, ISO 16128 recommends multiplying the percentage of the content (added to the cosmetic formulation) by the natural index, defined between 0 and 1. A “naturalness” percentage certificate must be obtained from suppliers for each ingredient. According to ISO 16128, a “natural source” index and a “natural” index can be provided as soon as the natural part of the content/molecule is over 50%.
Conclusion
Considering that there are no requirements set by the EU regarding natural and organic claims on cosmetic products, cosmetic brands should be careful when using these claims, considering the possible national consequences.
