Natural cosmetics seal: quality guarantee or marketing tool?
What is natural cosmetics?
With the trend towards growing environmental awareness, interest in organic and natural cosmetics has also grown steadily in recent years. This is mainly due to the desire for
- skin-friendly products,
- the most ecological production of raw materials and ingredients possible,
- biodegradability
- fair working conditions,
- the ban on animal testing,
- the preservation of small agricultural businesses,
- the protection of vital natural landscapes such as primeval forests.
Wikipedia describes natural cosmetics as cosmetics whose ingredients are predominantly of natural origin. As you can see, this term is not very specific in terms of the expectations described and leaves a lot of room for interpretation.
No uniform natural cosmetics standard
Natural cosmetics are not uniformly defined by law. Rather, there are a large number of private natural cosmetics seals that define different standards themselves based on their own criteria. The above-mentioned expectations of natural cosmetics are only partially taken into account or not taken into account at all. Each seal for certified natural cosmetics defines its own standards, some of which even allow a maximum of 5% of petrochemical ingredients. Common natural cosmetics seals include Natrue, Cosmos/BDIH, Ecocert, Icada and NCS. They have varying degrees of strictness, often non-transparent requirements, which are hardly comparable for consumers. The only things the common seals for certified natural cosmetics have in common are a few minimum standards:
- Ban on parabens in preservatives
- ban on genetically modified ingredients
- ban on silicones
- ban on synthetic dyes and fragrances
- skin compatibility issues
None of the certifications take into account the skin compatibility of the ingredients. This should be an absolute prerequisite for whether an ingredient is more or less suitable for natural cosmetics.
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Example aggressive surfactants
The surfactant sodium coco sulfate, which is mainly used in organic shampoos and organic shower gels, is partly natural and partly of petrochemical origin. Sodium coco sulfate is known to have an irritating, skin-irritating and drying effect on sensitive skin and scalp. This detergent substance complies with all common natural cosmetics certifications - not least because large companies have exerted economic pressure on natural cosmetics certifiers. -
Example preservatives
Preservatives such as potassium sorbate (INCI: Potassium Sorbate), sodium benzoate (INCI: Sodium Benzoate) or benzoic acid (INCI: Benzoic Acid) are synthetically produced as "nature-identical" ingredients. They comply with all common natural cosmetics certifications, although they have an increased potential to irritate the skin and lead to increased skin reactions in sensitive skin. -
Example alcohol
Although alcohol (INCI: alcohol) has a drying effect, damages the skin barrier and is also unsuitable for oily skin, it complies with all common natural cosmetics seals without quantity restrictions - even in facial care. -
Example fragrances
Although natural fragrances with their allergens also have an increased potential for irritation for sensitive skin, they are nevertheless approved for use in facial care for certified natural cosmetics. -
Example emulsifiers
Emulsifiers not only combine oils and water in an emulsion, but they also settle in the skin. There they continue to emulsify. They dissolve the skin's own fats from the skin barrier so that they are washed out of the skin the next time they come into contact with water (wash-out effect). This applies not only to synthetic, petroleum-based PEG emulsifiers, but also, in a weakened form, to classic emulsifiers made from esterified vegetable fatty acids that meet the standards of certified natural cosmetics.
Natural Cosmetics Seals & Economic Interests
The common natural cosmetics seals are offered by purely private licensors. The licensors represent the economic interests of the companies as lobby associations and/or work for profit themselves. In order to use one of the many natural cosmetics seals, the certification must be purchased from the companies for an annual license fee. The licensors argue that the advertising effect of their natural cosmetics seal is supposed to justify the license fees and the considerable additional administrative work for the companies through supposedly increased sales figures. Certification as an advertising measure is reflected in a higher sales price - especially for smaller companies. It does not benefit the quality of the products in any way.
Since 2017, in addition to the private natural cosmetics certifications, there has been an ISO standard for organic and natural cosmetics. However, the ISO standard 16128 is not legally binding and does not contain any detailed specifications. According to this, cosmetic products are considered natural cosmetics if they contain at least 95% natural ingredients - including the water content. Since the ISO standard for natural cosmetics also allows a proportion of 5% petrochemical ingredients, it seems to be more about the "good feeling" that is supposed to be conveyed to the consumer. Here, a possible suspicion of "greenwashing" is not unfounded.
So how do you really recognize high-quality natural cosmetics?
Natural cosmetics should focus on first-class quality and high-quality recipes with optimized skin compatibility, on organically produced and, if possible, fairly traded plant ingredients. In detail, this means:
- Emulsifier-free creams and lotions
- no aggressive, sulfate-containing surfactants in organic shampoos or shower gels, but skin-friendly plant-based surfactants, such as wash-active amino acids or sugar surfactants
- intelligent preservation systems without potentially skin-irritating classic preservatives, instead using, for example, organic acids that also have skin-care properties
- no alcohol in natural cosmetics
- no fragrances in facial care
- no palm oil in natural cosmetics
Our recommendation
As long as there is no appropriate, uniform natural cosmetics standard, we recommend that you take a close look at every single ingredient in your cosmetics. The ingredients list on the product labels lists all ingredients in descending order of quantity. We particularly recommend the Codecheck app to assess each individual ingredient.
At myrto you will find a German explanation for every Latin pharmaceutical INCI term in the product description. All myrto products receive top ratings at Codecheck without exception.
This means: According to current scientific studies, every single ingredient used in myrto is 100% recommendable for your skin and also for our environment. This applies to every myrto product without exception! This means that myrto natural cosmetics far exceed all common natural cosmetics standards.
