Title: Why use natural magnificence and wellness merchandise?
Do you know that merchandise will be referred to as ‘natural’ and have as little as 1% natural substances? That is the place The Soil Affiliation steps in, with their natural certification which ensures yow will discover magnificence and wellness merchandise you may belief. In honour of Natural Magnificence Week, we caught up with them to find why licensed natural magnificence and wellbeing is so vital.
What’s licensed natural magnificence and wellbeing?
Natural refers to a system of farming that works with nature, by prohibiting the usage of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. Within the meals trade “natural” is a legally regulated time period, but no such laws exists for utilizing this label for magnificence and wellbeing merchandise. Which means that corporations can legally label merchandise as “natural” even when they comprise simply 1% natural substances!
For this reason the Soil Affiliation helped to develop the worldwide COSMOS commonplace for Natural cosmetics, so shoppers have pointers they will belief. In a COSMOS licensed product, 95% of the substances grown on farms after which bodily processed, for instance by drying and crushing, should be natural. We even have our Personal Label Well being & Magnificence commonplace for non-cosmetic wellbeing merchandise (akin to candles, lubricants, and cleansing merchandise) that has comparable necessities, and the identical thorough checks from farm to the completed product. Searching for merchandise with the Soil Affiliation emblem due to this fact ensures the product meets the gold commonplace of sustainability.
Why is natural so vital for magnificence in addition to meals?
The identical arguments for natural meals apply to natural magnificence and wellbeing- it’s a system of farming that’s higher for the planet and the individuals and animals residing on it. As magnificence merchandise are a luxurious, we must be particularly cautious that their manufacturing doesn’t destroy nature and guaranteeing that they’re licensed natural is a method of doing this.
Natural farming gives many options to the present ecological points we face, together with local weather change. Soils on natural farms retailer twice as a lot carbon in them than non-organic[1], protecting extra of this out of the ambiance. By prohibiting the usage of nitrogen fertilisers- that are created from fossil fuels- natural farms additionally use much less power than non-organic[2].
This isn’t to say the superb protections natural farming offers to biodiversity. The prohibition of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fungicides means biodiversity is way larger on natural farms than non-organic. On common, natural farms are house to 50% extra plant, insect, and fowl life[3]. We depend on bugs like bees, moths, butterflies, and others to pollinate our crops. If we wish to guarantee crop progress can proceed to feed us- not to mention present for our magnificence products- such pollinators have to be protected, and natural is the best way to take action.
Why is biodiversity a sizzling subject this yr?
Sadly, our biodiversity, notably insect life, is declining. Over 40% of insect species are declining and a 3rd are endangered, and intensive farming (attributable to the usage of pesticides) has been recognized as the primary trigger[4].
The problem of biodiversity loss has been introduced into the general public consciousness extra this yr by the UK Authorities saying that they’re planning to loosen up the ban on neonicotinoids. These are pesticides which might be notably dangerous to insect populations, akin to bees. Only a single teaspoon of neonicotinoid pesticide is sufficient to kill 1.25 billion bees[5]. It’s not laborious to see how this leisure might wreak huge environmental havoc. The Soil Affiliation had been instrumental in first getting these pesticides banned within the EU in 2017, and choosing licensed natural magnificence and wellbeing merchandise is only one method you may guarantee your purchases don’t go in direction of supporting such dangerous practises.
Are there some substances that can not be natural licensed?
Sure, as “natural” can solely check with substances which were grown and farmed by way of the natural technique. This implies many substances which might be present in magnificence and wellbeing merchandise can’t be natural licensed. The COSMOS commonplace states that at the least 20% of the general substances in a product should be natural, and the explanation this will appear low is as a result of water constitutes many of the formulation in lots of magnificence merchandise. Water, which isn’t grown, can’t be natural. Nevertheless, as defined above, the usual stipulates that 95% of any substances that come from agriculture should be grown organically.
There are additionally many pure minerals, together with clay and salt, which might be generally present in magnificence merchandise. Once more, these can’t be classed as “natural” as a result of they aren’t grown. Nevertheless, we additionally certify to the COSMOS Pure commonplace which covers these kind of substances. Just like the Natural commonplace, COSMOS Pure ensures that any pure supplies are sourced sustainably.
Is one certification higher than one other?
COSMOS Natural is an internationally recognised commonplace, which provides it leverage over different requirements that exist. We developed the usual in affiliation with different European certification our bodies. Nevertheless, Soil Affiliation Certification is the one UK physique that certifies cosmetics to this commonplace.
It’s actually some of the rigorous requirements on the market in terms of sustainability. It’s not only for guaranteeing the agricultural substances in a product are organic- the entire manufacturing course of is inspected.
When it comes to the product formulation, we prohibit sure substances along with certifying those we do allow. Those who we don’t enable embody parabens, phthalates, and artificial plastics and microplastics. It’s value our checklist of “Horrible Ten” substances for extra perception on a number of the substances we’d by no means enable in our licensed merchandise, however which might truly be present in another magnificence and wellbeing merchandise that label themselves “natural” with out certification!
All magnificence and wellness merchandise bought at Planet Natural are COSMOS licensed, discover our favourites right here.
[1] Gattinger, A., Muller, A., Haeni, M., Skinner, C., Fliessbach, A., Buchmann, N., Niggli, U. (2012). Enhanced high soil carbon shares beneath natural farming. Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences of the US of America, 109(44), 18226–31.
[2] Smith et al. (2015) The power effectivity of natural agriculture: A assessment. Renewable Agriculture and Meals Techniques, 30, 3
[3] Bengtsson, J., Ahnström, J., & Weibull, A. C. (2005 ‘The results of natural agriculture on biodiversity and abundance: A meta-analysis’ Journal of Utilized Ecology, 42(2), 261–269. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01005.x
[4] Sanchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys (2019) Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A assessment of its drivers. Organic Conservation, 232, 8-27
[5] Goulson, D ‘Are crops being devastated with out neonicotinoid safety?’ http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/goulsonlab/weblog/neonicotinoid-protection
