Organic beauty products from the Soil Association
Look for the Soil Association symbol on organic cosmetics, organic skin care, organic hair products and organic soaps to ensure the product you buy is certified to a standard you trust.
Buying an organic beauty product can be so confusing. There is no legal definition of the term 'organic' in the beauty industry, unlike food labelling which is strictly regulated. Some 'organic' beauty products contain even less than 1% of organic ingredients, and the other ingredients are certainly far from natural, and could even be harmful to the environment. Most shoppers don't know this.
For a Soil Association certificate, 95 % of the plant-based ingredients must be organic, and all other ingredients have to meet strict criteria. Overall, the product must be at least 20% organic.
While that may sound low, many beauty products are mostly composed of water, which cannot be organic. Shampoo, for example, is 80%, so if the remaining 20% is organic, that’s about as good as it gets.
If you see either the Soil Association or the COSMOS symbol on a cosmetic product it means that:
- The producer has had its manufacturing facility inspected annually by the Soil Association or another certifying body. This includes an audit of the organic ingredients used and a demonstration of ecologically sound production methods
- All product formulae and labels have been approved
- It will be clearly labelled so that you can make an informed choice about the product you are buying
- Any non-organic ingredients are being used because no organic equivalents were available.
- All ingredients are GM free – non-organic ingredients can only be used if their suppliers has submitted a declaration that it is non-GM
- It has used minimal non-organic additives and only those from a restricted list. These must be non-GM and can only be used if the organic version of that ingredient is not yet available.
- Any processed ingredients, are processed by ecologically sound means.
The comprehensive COSMOS standards mean there can be a large difference between a beauty product that has been certified and one that is merely described as 'organic' on the label. To ensure a product is guaranteed organic, look for the COSMOS or the Soil Association symbol on the product before you buy.