Title: Why use natural magnificence and wellness merchandise?

Do you know that merchandise will 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 you’ll find magnificence and wellness merchandise you’ll be able to belief. In honour of Natural Magnificence Week, we caught up with them to find why licensed natural magnificence and wellbeing is so essential.

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 that corporations can legally label merchandise as “natural” even when they include simply 1% natural components!

Because of this 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 (akin to candles, lubricants, and cleansing merchandise) that has comparable necessities, and the identical thorough checks from farm to the completed product. In search of merchandise with the Soil Affiliation emblem subsequently ensures the product meets the gold customary of sustainability.

Why is natural so essential 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 individuals and animals residing on it. As magnificence merchandise are a luxurious, we ought to be particularly cautious that their manufacturing doesn’t destroy nature and making certain that they’re licensed natural is a method of doing this.

Natural farming offers 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], maintaining extra of this out of the ambiance. By prohibiting the usage of nitrogen fertilisers- that are created from fossil fuels- natural farms additionally use much less power than non-organic[2].

This isn’t to say the superb protections natural farming offers to biodiversity. The prohibition of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fungicides means biodiversity is far increased on natural farms than non-organic. On common, natural farms are residence to 50% extra plant, insect, and chicken life[3]. We depend on bugs like bees, moths, butterflies, and others to pollinate our crops. If we need to guarantee crop progress can proceed to feed us- not to mention present for our magnificence products- such pollinators have to be protected, and natural is the best way to take action.

Why is biodiversity a scorching matter this 12 months?

Sadly, our biodiversity, notably insect life, is declining. Over 40% of insect species are declining and a 3rd are endangered, and intensive farming (resulting from the usage of pesticides) has been recognized as the primary trigger[4].

The problem of biodiversity loss has been introduced into the general public consciousness extra this 12 months by the UK Authorities saying that they’re planning to loosen up the ban on neonicotinoids. These are pesticides which are notably dangerous to insect populations, akin to bees. Only a single teaspoon of neonicotinoid pesticide is sufficient to kill 1.25 billion bees[5]. It’s not onerous to see how this leisure might wreak huge environmental havoc. The Soil Affiliation had been instrumental in first getting these pesticides banned within the EU in 2017, and choosing licensed natural magnificence and wellbeing merchandise is only one means you’ll be able to guarantee your purchases don’t go in the direction of supporting such dangerous practises.

Are there some components that can’t be natural licensed?

Sure, as “natural” can solely discuss with components which were 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 not less than 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 a lot of the formulation in lots of magnificence merchandise. Water, which isn’t grown, can’t be natural. Nevertheless, 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 aren’t grown. Nevertheless, we additionally certify to the COSMOS Pure customary which covers these kind of 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 provides it leverage over different requirements that exist. We developed the usual in affiliation with different European certification our bodies. Nevertheless, Soil Affiliation Certification is the one UK physique that certifies cosmetics to this customary.

It’s actually probably the most rigorous requirements on the market in relation to sustainability. It’s not 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. People who we don’t permit embody parabens, phthalates, and artificial plastics and microplastics. It’s price taking a look at our record of “Horrible Ten” components for extra perception on a few of the components we might by no means permit in our licensed merchandise, however which may really be present in another magnificence and wellbeing merchandise that label themselves “natural” with out certification!

All magnificence and wellness merchandise bought 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 underneath natural farming. Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences of the US of America, 109(44), 18226–31.

[2] Smith et al. (2015) The power effectivity of natural agriculture: A assessment. Renewable Agriculture and Meals Programs, 30, 3

[3] Bengtsson, J., Ahnström, J., & Weibull, A. C. (2005 ‘The consequences 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 assessment 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