Isyour organic beauty cream thereal deal?
There are lots of products posing as natural.. but experts want tougher rules to root out the fakes
DURING Organic Beauty week, the Soil Association campaigned to weed out the true organic from the fake.
The Campaign for Clarity highlighted the massive issue in the beauty industry of products being labelled organic when they contain ingredients that are not.
A survey revealed that 76 per cent of consumers feel misled by labels on beauty products and 72 per cent would lose trust in a beauty brand who made misleading claims about being organic.
The Soil Association identified products and brands who are doing just that. Boots, Dr Organic and Faith in Nature were named as “greenwashing” culprits.
Unlike organic food, which must adhere to strict EU standards, there are no legal standards for using the term organic on beauty products. Anyone can call a product organic, even if it contains virtually no organic ingredients.
And many products contain ingredients the Soil Association call the “Terrible 10”. They include phthalates, sulphates and parabens.
Soil Association policy director Peter Melchett said: “The labels on products we encountered were littered with confusing terms. It is very difficult for consumers to know they are making the right choice when doing their shopping.”
Emeritus Professor Vyvyan Howard, of the Centre for Molecular Bioscience at Ulster University, said: “I was shocked to find ingredients which could contain human carcinogens in products with labels which could suggest they might be organic.
“Genuine organic products are independently certified. I would encourage consumers to choose those to be sure they are keeping away from ingredients included in the Terrible 10.”
Some websites, such as Pravera, specialise in organic beauty. Pravera boss Graeme Hume said: “Brands are labelling their products organic or natural, but when looking at the ingredients list, you realise that there are chemicals present, which means the overall product can’t be organic.
“As a shopper, you need to be wary and check the certification labels on the products.”
Organii produce certified organic body products, including a range of shower gels with great skincare benefits. Try their Organic Argan Shower Gel to nourish and soften the skin. (£5.95, pravera.co.uk).
Irish brand Voya are certified organic and use the natural resources of Irish seaweed in many products. The brand’s roots lie in County Sligo and the Walton familyrun seaweed baths that opened in 1912. Their hero product is their Lazy Days Seaweed bath (£17), but they have full skincare ranges for all skin types.
Former investment banker Olivia Thorpe created the Vanderohe No1 Nourishing Face Serum (£88, www. vanderohe.com) because she wanted something organic and luxurious.
Her multi-correctional face serum is made from Soil Associationcertified organic cold-pressed oils and enriched with essential oils.
Inlight are another organic brand certified by the Soil Association. Their products are created by Dr Mariano Spiezia, who brings botanicals and science together. His beauty line includes skin and body care products, costing from £24 to £170. Try the Superfood Mask (£32), with spirulina, rose seed oil, carrot root and barley leaf.
Organic makeup can be harder to come by, but Australian brand INIKA have brilliant shades of eye colour, a full range of base products and excellent vegan lip tints, as well as bold lip colours. They are certified organic and available at Whole Foods stores, among others. ●To sign a petition to make the beauty industry regulate labelling of organic products, visit soilassociation.org/comecleanaboutbeauty.