The Soil Association campaign for clarity in beauty

In recent years, “organic” has become a buzzword in the beauty industry.

This upswing in interest is brilliant, but unfortunately the natural and organic claims being made by many brands just don’t stand up to scrutiny.

Unlike organic food, there are currently no legal standards for organic labelling in beauty and some companies are taking advantage of this loophole, marketing products as organic or natural when they’re simply not.

Claiming a product is “organic” when it contains as little as 1% (or no!) organic ingredients is not only misleading, but is also leading to customers being cheated.

Firstly they’re duped into buying products based on organic or natural credentials that don’t exist.

Secondly, they pay more for organic products because they cost more to produce.

So it is tempting for companies to charge the premium but use cheaper non-organic ingredients.

The only way to be sure of the organic credentials of what you’re buying is to look for an official kitemark from an organisation like the Soil Association.

Emma Reinhold from the Soil Association says:

We believe that organic beauty should mean just that: beauty products that comply to strict standards and a certification stamp that gives consumers the confidence to know that what they are buying is truly organic.”

The Soil Association’s Campaign for Clarity is reclaiming organic beauty this September in conjunction with the annual Organic Beauty Week celebrations.

Vote with your wallet and support truly organic beauty this September.

Get involved with the conversation on Twitter using #OrganicBeauty and #Campaign4Clarity.