Natural cosmetics

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As natural cosmetics are cosmetics called the "natural" of raw materials are prepared and their claim characterized by gentler on people and the environment than conventional cosmetics. Although there is no uniform or international definition, certain ingredients such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), silicones , parabens , synthetic fragrances, paraffins and other petroleum products are excluded from natural cosmetics . Sometimes the term ecological agriculture is also used in connection with “natural cosmetics”.

Definitions

The term natural cosmetics has not yet been clearly defined and protected by law. In 1993 the Federal Ministry of Health proposed a definition. Among other things, this contained a restriction on the permitted preservatives and the requirement that all raw materials used should be "of vegetable, animal or mineral origin". In Austria, the Austrian Food Book forms the definition basis for natural cosmetics.

In 2000 the Council of Europe also presented a definition. The origin of the raw materials from plants, animals or minerals, the avoidance of harmful impurities and the restriction of processing to physical, microbiological and enzymatic methods form the basis of this definition.

ingredients

The ingredients in natural cosmetics are mostly of plant origin, sometimes also of mineral or animal origin. The most important ingredients in terms of quantity are oils , fats and waxes such as argan oil , olive oil , soybean oil , shea butter , cocoa butter and beeswax . As raw material for detergent substances also plays sugar as a raw material an essential role in fermentation derived ethanol comes z. B. for deodorants or perfumes are used. In addition, various essential oils , herbal extracts and floral waters as well as natural aromas are used. The use of emulsifiers and preservatives in natural cosmetics is usually restricted to natural or near-natural substances. The raw materials for natural cosmetics should preferably come from controlled organic cultivation or wild collection, but this is usually not a requirement. Due to the fact that there are no detergent surfactants or their substitution with milder plant-based surfactants, natural detergents are more skin-friendly, but have a lower washing power than conventional cosmetic products. Most labels are also only awarded for products that do not use animal testing , genetic engineering or ionizing radiation.

Private standards and certification

Associations and companies have developed a large number of systems and seals of approval for the labeling of natural cosmetic products , which they mostly award on the basis of regular tests. The test criteria of the various systems differ significantly, and they often go beyond legal requirements. Depending on the organization, criteria for the cultivation or extraction of raw materials, processing methods as well as the social and ecological commitment of the company are checked in addition to the type of raw materials. The seals are located on the packaging of natural cosmetic products, which should make it easier for consumers to make a purchase decision.

According to the German Council for Sustainable Development , not all systems are transparent and trustworthy. Some certifications require that vegetable raw materials come at least partially from organic farming . Some manufacturers do not require certification for cost reasons, even though their products meet the requirements. The variety of seals is considered confusing. Various manufacturers' associations and seal givers endeavor to achieve international harmonization under the umbrella of the COSMOS standard.

The common seals of BDIH “controlled natural cosmetics”, Natrue and Ecocert have their origin in industry associations . Consumer advocates fear that if manufacturers' associations act as seal givers for their own member companies, an independent certification could be jeopardized.

BDIH - controlled natural cosmetics

In 1999 the Federal Association of German Industrial and Trading Companies for Drugs, Health Products, Dietary Supplements and Personal Care Products (BDIH) developed a guideline and a seal of approval for "controlled natural cosmetics" based on a natural cosmetics definition from the German Federal Ministry of Health . The standards of the BDIH concern the extraction and production of raw materials, their processing into the end product and its sale. The criteria include a. the origin of raw materials, if possible from organic agriculture, animal welfare , a positive list of permitted raw materials and processing methods as well as the express exclusion of some synthetic additives. To ensure microbiological safety, some nature-identical preservatives are also permitted. Independent institutes should check compliance with the criteria.

According to the BDIH, there were around 200 licensees at the beginning of 2016 and around 10,000 products had been certified by then. The certification and marketing of the English version of the logo takes place on a global level by the International Organic and Natural Cosmetics Corporation (IONC GmbH).

The Council for Sustainable Development has checked the seal and included it as one of three in the “sustainable shopping cart” it developed. In addition to sustainability criteria, it fulfills a minimum of transparency and credibility. The consumer initiative sees the seal as recommendable, but the award process is not transparent enough.

Cosmos standard

The Cosmos Standard is an international natural cosmetics standard that the BDIH developed at the beginning of 2017 together with the European natural cosmetics associations Ecocert and Cosmebio from France, ICEA from Italy and the Soil Association from Great Britain in order to establish uniform criteria. It is therefore based on the previous criteria of the five certification organizations. The board consists of one representative from each of the five founding organizations and is headed by Harald Dittmar from the BDIH. The Cosmos Standard awards two seals, the Cosmos Natural certification for natural cosmetics and the Cosmos Organic certification for organic cosmetics. According to the association, over 18,000 products in 60 countries currently bear the Cosmos Natural or Cosmos Organic seal. Over 8,000 components bear the Cosmos Certified signature, with which individual components and raw materials can be certified.

Natrue

The Natrue label of Natrue - The International Association for Natural and Organic Cosmetics from Brussels, which has existed since autumn 2008, offers three quality levels. The basic level defines the permitted components of certified cosmetics. In the natural cosmetics with organic portion level , the organic content of the natural components of a product must also be at least 70 percent, in the organic cosmetics level at least 95 percent.

According to Natrue, 4,300 products were already certified in 2015.

The Natrue seal was also included in the “sustainable shopping cart” by the German Council for Sustainable Development. The Consumer Initiative describes the label as recommendable, but criticizes the fact that the various categories are either only recognizable via a QR code or, with some manufacturers, cannot be recognized at all.

Natrue products may also contain palm oil that is not certified according to the RSPO criteria . In principle, genetically modified organisms (GMO) must not be used. Recombinant enzymes are an exception if there are no alternatives or to improve sustainability. In natural cosmetics there is a minimum content of natural substances, which, depending on the product category and certification level, usually ranges from 15% to 30%. Maximum quantities have been set for "near-natural" substances. In addition, nature-identical and near-natural preservatives such as benzyl alcohol , formic acid , benzoic acid , dehydracetic acid are permitted, as are aluminum , chromium and other metal compounds such as titanium dioxide as colorants.

measure up

Since 2007 there has been an independent trade fair VIVANESS for natural cosmetics ; before that it was part of the BIOFACH trade fair .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Recommendation of the Industrial Association of Body Care and Washing Agents eV (IKW), 2001: Natural Cosmetics. ( pdf ( memento of October 3, 2006 in the Internet Archive )).
  2. ↑ Federal Ministry of Health, 2009: Austrian Food Book, 4th edition, Codex Chapter B 33 Cosmetic Agents. ( html ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. ). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lebensmittelbuch.at
  3. ^ Natural Cosmetic Products. Approved by the Committee of Experts on Cosmetic Products , September 2000 ( pdf ).
  4. ↑ Michael Pankratius . Lexicon Renewable Raw Materials, accessed on May 22, 2010.
  5. ^ A b Sabine Elsässer: Toiletries and cosmetics: A textbook for PTA training and advice in pharmacy practice . 2nd Edition. Springer Medizin Verlag, Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-540-76523-3 , 1.3 natural cosmetics.
  6. ↑ a b c Important seals: Natural cosmetics and care. German Council for Sustainable Development, accessed on January 30, 2017 .
  7. ↑ a b Amarjit Sahota: Sustainability: How the Cosmetics Industry is Greening Up . John Wiley & Sons, 2014, ISBN 978-1-119-94554-3 , Chapter 10: Green Standards, Certification, and Indices.
  8. ^ The COSMOS standard. COSMOS standard AISBL, accessed January 11, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Stiftung Warentest (ed.): Natural cosmetics: Less nature than thought . August 27, 2009 ( test.de ).
  10. ↑ Petra Völzing: Seal on cosmetic products - really the crème de la crème? In: Badische Zeitung . October 2, 2015 ( badische-zeitung.de ).
  11. ↑ a b NATRUE. In: Label-Online. Consumer Initiative, accessed December 30, 2015 .
  12. ↑ a b BDIH. In: Label-Online. Consumer Initiative, accessed January 11, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Status report 2016: BDIH Standard for Controlled Natural Cosmetics. Federal Association of German Industrial and Trading Companies for Drugs, Health Products, Dietary Supplements and Personal Care Products, February 2016, accessed on February 11, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Cosmos Standard. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
  15. ↑ Cosmos certification. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
  16. ↑ What makes the NATRUE label special? (No longer available online.) Natrue, archived from the original on December 30, 2015 ; accessed on December 30, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.natrue.org
  17. ↑ NATRUE label. Retrieved February 23, 2017 .
  18. ↑ Factsheet on palmoil - NATRUE position. Natrue, accessed November 16, 2017 .
  19. ↑ NATRUE label: Requirements for natural and organic cosmetics. Natrue, accessed November 16, 2017 . ; on preservatives and dyes: "NATRUE_Label_Annexes_3.6_010617_update_290917" (Download), in it Annex 2: Nature-identical inorganic pigments and minerals approved in natural and organic cosmetics and Annex 4: Preservatives .
  20. ↑ www.vivaness.de