Organic, natural, vegan, slow … what do these labels mean on our cosmetic products? What specific concerns do they address? We try to see more clearly.
2012: while slow food takes off across the world, slow cosmetics are born under the impetus of a French aromatologist, Julien Kaibeck. “I invented this concept by being inspired by the slow food movement, he explains. Slow cosmetics is part of this spirit. It encourages to consume less but better: less, by proving to us that we have no need for a thousand and one products to make us feel good, beautiful and clean. Better, because it gives pride of place to natural ingredients such as vegetable oils, aloe vera or minimally processed plants. ”
The most common cosmetoxics
Julien Kaibeck identifies some of the most common cosmetoxics for which the impact on health is the most controversial and which should be avoided in our skincare routine:
Among the very common:
- Methylisothiazolinone: common preservative, endocrine disruptor.
- Benzophenone: UV filtering ingredient preservative, major polluter of sea water.
- Phenoxyethanol: very widespread preservative (endocrine disruptor).
Among the currents:
- Aluminum and its salts (stearates, hydroxide, hydrochloride), which are found particularly in deodorants and whose carcinogenic effects are increasingly controversial.
- Nano-sized titanium dioxide, found in particular in sun filters.
The best security is to check the labels. Discover the main cosmetic labels in this slideshow.
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NATURE & PROGRESS
This association for the promotion of organic was created in 1964, and its specifications for cosmetics were drawn up in 1998. Most drastic of all, it requires 100% of plant ingredients (plants, essential oils …) are from organic farming except for what cannot be certified (water, minerals, marine products, etc.). Manufacturing processes must be mechanical or result from simple chemical and physical processes.
NATRUE
Created in 2007 by the pioneers of natural cosmetics in Europe (Weleda, Dr. Hauschka, Lavera), this label favors natural and organic ingredients and environmentally friendly practices, limits petrochemical and processed ingredients, n ‘accepts no artificial products except certain preservatives, pigments and minerals, excludes a whole series of undesirable components: synthetic perfumes and dyes, silicone, GMOs .
EXPERTISE VÉGANE EUROPE
Under the acronym EVE hides the first French organization, created in 2015, dedicated to the control and certification of products relating to vegan quality: vegan ingredients, ingredients and finished products not tested on animals, control of manufacturing processes, control the nature of the packaging and the requirement for a certain level of naturalness (for example organic certification is required for cosmetics). This is the most restrictive because it also guarantees products without GMOs, synthetic materials or pollutants.
VEGAN
Vegan Society was founded in 1944 in England. It is the world benchmark for products free of ingredients of animal origin or derived from animal by-products, and not tested on animals. GMOs are allowed (this must be labeled) but must not have involved animal genes or substances of animal origin. Finally, this label only certifies products, not the brand or the group owning it.
MAP
The rabbit with pink ears from PETA, a famous American organization which fights against violence against animals (fur, leather, circuses, animal experimentation, etc.), issues two types of labels. Cruelty free: this label prohibits testing on animals. Cruelty free and vegan: this one guarantees that the brand does not test on animals and that the products do not contain any ingredients of animal origin.
SLOW COSMETICS
Following the eponymous book released in 2012, an association, a charter and a collaborative marketplace were created to promote “more sensible consumption of cosmetics”, with 4 pillars: healthy, ecological, reasonable and intelligent cosmetics, in short, clean cosmetics. minimalist in its formulas like its packaging, with an advantage given to SMEs. 219 brands have been labeled in 6 years in 10 countries, and around forty partner corners installed in pharmacies and boutiques.
What is Ecocert certification?
Unlike a label, which responds to a charter, certification is, for its part, framed by law and makes it possible to certify that the product meets standards. Certifications are issued by independent and recognized organizations. They are aimed above all at the various professionals who intervene in the product manufacturing chain. As such, Ecocert is not a label, but a control and certification body specializing in organic farming.
What is a vegan cosmetic?
A vegan cosmetic product must therefore not contain any ingredient of animal origin, which includes a wide range: no brushes with animal hair, no milk, eggs, bee products (honey, beeswax, propolis, royal jelly, pollen …), lanolin, keratin, collagen or animal gelatins that can be found in treatments. And no make-up with scales (guanine) of fish, nacres from shells, or carmine from cochineals …
