Title: Why use natural magnificence and wellness merchandise?
Do you know that merchandise might be known as ‘natural’ and have as little as 1% natural components? That is the place The Soil Affiliation steps in, with their natural certification which ensures you will discover magnificence and wellness merchandise you’ll be able to 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 business “natural” is a legally regulated time period, but no such laws exists for utilizing this label for magnificence and wellbeing merchandise. Because of this corporations can legally label merchandise as “natural” even when they include simply 1% natural components!
This is the reason the Soil Affiliation helped to develop the worldwide COSMOS normal for Natural cosmetics, so customers have pointers they will belief. In a COSMOS licensed product, 95% of the components grown on farms after which bodily processed, for instance by drying and crushing, have to be natural. We even have our Non-public Label Well being & Magnificence normal for non-cosmetic wellbeing merchandise (comparable to candles, lubricants, and cleansing merchandise) that has related necessities, and the identical thorough checks from farm to the completed product. In search of merchandise with the Soil Affiliation brand subsequently ensures the product meets the gold normal 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 ought to be particularly cautious that their manufacturing doesn’t destroy nature and making certain that they’re licensed natural is a method of doing this.
Natural farming supplies 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], retaining extra of this out of the environment. 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 wonderful protections natural farming provides 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 dwelling 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 need 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 way in which to take action.
Why is biodiversity a sizzling matter this 12 months?
Sadly, our biodiversity, significantly 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 12 months by the UK Authorities asserting that they’re planning to calm down the ban on neonicotinoids. These are pesticides which are significantly dangerous to insect populations, comparable to bees. Only a single teaspoon of neonicotinoid pesticide is sufficient to kill 1.25 billion bees[5]. It isn’t exhausting to see how this leisure might wreak large environmental havoc. The Soil Affiliation have 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’ll be able to guarantee your purchases don’t go in the direction of supporting such dangerous practises.
Are there some components that can not be natural licensed?
Sure, as “natural” can solely discuss with components which were grown and farmed by way of the natural technique. This implies many components which are present in magnificence and wellbeing merchandise can’t be natural licensed. The COSMOS normal states that no less than 20% of the general components in a product have to be natural, and the rationale this will likely 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 components that come from agriculture have to be grown organically.
There are additionally many pure minerals, together with clay and salt, which are generally present in magnificence merchandise. Once more, these can’t be classed as “natural” as a result of they don’t seem to be grown. Nevertheless, we additionally certify to the COSMOS Pure normal which covers most of these components. Just like the Natural normal, COSMOS Pure ensures that any pure supplies are sourced sustainably.
Is one certification higher than one other?
COSMOS Natural is an internationally recognised normal, 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 normal.
It’s actually some of the rigorous requirements on the market with regards to sustainability. It isn’t only for making certain the agricultural components in a product are organic- the entire manufacturing course of is inspected.
When it comes to the product formulation, we prohibit sure components along with certifying those we do allow. Those who we don’t permit embrace parabens, phthalates, and artificial plastics and microplastics. It’s value our listing of “Horrible Ten” components for extra perception on among the components we’d by no means permit in our licensed merchandise, however which might really be present in another magnificence and wellbeing merchandise that label themselves “natural” with out certification!
All magnificence and wellness merchandise offered 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 prime 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 evaluation. Renewable Agriculture and Meals Programs, 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 evaluation 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
