Editor’s Note: We are pleased to bring you an informative article by guest blogger Diane Elizabeth of Skin Care Ox!
Green is the new black when it comes to the beauty industry. Green beauty is a popular movement, as many switch to products that are safe, clean, and all-natural.
There are incredible brands who create clean products to exacting standards. But there are also plenty of imposters who claim they do but don’t. So how can you tell them apart? The first step is to unpack the industry’s key buzzwords. This way you understand what they mean and when you can trust them.
Breaking down the buzzwords
Organic, natural, non-toxic, GMO-free. These are some of the most popular buzzwords when it comes to clean beauty. Surprisingly, none of these terms are strictly regulated by the FDA or USDA for cosmetic industry use.
Here’s a breakdown of the most popular buzzwords:
Organic
Organic means produced without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), sewage, ionizing radiation, antibiotics, or growth hormones (1).
To ensure that a product is “organic,†look for a seal from a third-party organic certifying organization, such as the USDA Certified Organic program. If you don’t see the USDA seal, then there is no guarantee that the product meets organic quality standards.
Even if a product is USDA Certified Organic, that doesn’t mean that it contains 100% organic ingredients. In fact, a product can contain as little as 70% organic ingredients and still have the USDA seal. Even with the fancy USDA seal, you’ll still want to read the ingredient labels of organic cosmetics and beauty products.
Here are a few ways to evaluate if products are organic and high quality:
- How many ingredients are listed as “certified organic� Which organization certified them?
- Research all listed non-organic ingredients online—are they safe and clean?
- Look for a seal from a third-party certifying organization
Natural
The term “natural†is frequently used in the beauty industry. Yet, there are no official regulatory standards to define it. That means that any cosmetic product can claim to be “natural†while still containing synthetic ingredients. The simplest definition for “natural products†are those not containing any synthetic ingredients or additives.
Here are a few tips to identify them:
- Natural ingredients tend to be easy to read and recognize. If you don’t know one, google it to confirm.
- Natural ingredients should be at the top of the list on the label, any unnatural ones should be at the end.
- Look for a seal from a third-party certifying organization
Non-Toxic
Non-toxic means “a substance that is not expected to cause symptoms or be dangerous†to humans or the environment (2). A non-toxic product should not have any ingredients linked to toxic responses in humans. Toxic responses include death, organ failure, reproductive and hormonal disruption, and cancer.
Chem-Free
The term “chemical-free†or “chem-free†is incredibly misleading. Not only is it completely unregulated, but it is also deceptive. All ingredients in a product are technically chemicals, including water! Steer clear of all beauty products marketing themselves as chemical-free.
About our Guest Blogger
Diane Elizabeth is a beauty expert and founder of Skin Care Ox: a skin care blog focusing on publishing accurate, beautiful, and informative skin care research and content. Diane’s skin care advice has been featured in many top publications such as HuffPost, Glamour, Reader’s Digest, and Yahoo!
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, not of Style Chicks.