Title: Why use natural magnificence and wellness merchandise?
Do you know that merchandise could be referred to 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 yow will discover magnificence and wellness merchandise you possibly can belief. In honour of Natural Magnificence Week, we caught up with them to find why licensed natural magnificence and wellbeing is so necessary.
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. Which means firms can legally label merchandise as “natural” even when they comprise simply 1% natural components!
For this reason the Soil Affiliation helped to develop the worldwide COSMOS customary 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 customary for non-cosmetic wellbeing merchandise (reminiscent of 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 due to this fact ensures the product meets the gold customary of sustainability.
Why is natural so necessary 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 folks and animals dwelling on it. As magnificence merchandise are a luxurious, we needs to be particularly cautious that their manufacturing doesn’t destroy nature and making certain that they’re licensed natural is a technique 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], preserving 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 vitality than non-organic[2].
This isn’t to say the wonderful protections natural farming offers to biodiversity. The prohibition of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fungicides means biodiversity is way greater 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 wish to guarantee crop development can proceed to feed us- not to mention present for our magnificence products- such pollinators must be protected, and natural is the way in which 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 (on account of the usage of pesticides) has been recognized as the principle trigger[4].
The difficulty of biodiversity loss has been introduced into the general public consciousness extra this yr by the UK Authorities asserting that they’re planning to loosen up the ban on neonicotinoids. These are pesticides which are notably dangerous to insect populations, reminiscent of bees. Only a single teaspoon of neonicotinoid pesticide is sufficient to kill 1.25 billion bees[5]. It isn’t laborious to see how this leisure may wreak huge 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 possibly can guarantee your purchases don’t go in direction of supporting such dangerous practises.
Are there some components that can’t be natural licensed?
Sure, as “natural” can solely confer with components which have been grown and farmed through the natural technique. This implies many components which are present in magnificence and wellbeing merchandise can’t be natural licensed. The COSMOS customary states that at the very least 20% of the general components in a product have to be natural, and the rationale this may increasingly 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. Nonetheless, 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. Nonetheless, we additionally certify to the COSMOS Pure customary which covers a lot of these components. Just like the Natural customary, COSMOS Pure ensures that any pure supplies are sourced sustainably.
Is one certification higher than one other?
COSMOS Natural is an internationally recognised customary, which supplies it leverage over different requirements that exist. We developed the usual in affiliation with different European certification our bodies. Nonetheless, Soil Affiliation Certification is the one UK physique that certifies cosmetics to this customary.
It’s actually one of the crucial rigorous requirements on the market in terms of sustainability. It isn’t only for making certain the agricultural components in a product are organic- the entire manufacturing course of is inspected.
By way of the product formulation, we prohibit sure components along with certifying those we do allow. Those who we don’t enable embody parabens, phthalates, and artificial plastics and microplastics. It’s price our listing of “Horrible Ten” components for extra perception on a few of the components we might by no means enable in our licensed merchandise, however which may truly 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 below natural farming. Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences of america of America, 109(44), 18226–31.
[2] Smith et al. (2015) The vitality 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
