What is natural skin care?
PHOTO2_left Natural skin care is made up of the best ingredients nature has to offer. It ditches harsh chemicals and instead combines botanicals like herbs, roots, essential oils and flowers with natural carriers such as oils and water. In other words, it’s skin care in its purest form.
While natural skin care isn’t a new thing ’ in fact, the Egyptians and Indians experimented with it around 6,000 years ago ’ it’s gotten more sophisticated in recent years. By using biodynamic farming methods and sourcing the most potent ingredients from around the world, natural brands are now producing amazing products. Here at Nourished Life, we have sky-high standards when it comes to natural skin care. We’ve scoured the globe for the best, most effective products ’ and they’re yours at the click of a mouse!
Natural skin care vs. organic skin care
The natural skin care market is flourishing, but with so many labels and claims flying around, it can be hard to work out if a product is truly natural. There’s no doubt about it: separating clever marketing from science can be a challenge. We’ve been there. So, what’s the difference between natural and certified organic skin care?
What does Natural Skincare mean
This is tricky because at the time of publishing this article there is very little information readily available on the clear definition of natural skincare. There are no regulations around the use of the word ’natural’ in Australia. Brands can use the word natural (and organic) on their label whenever and wherever they like. That being said, as a general rule, natural products should contain a high level of naturally-derived ingredients, be free from synthetic fragrances, not contain micro-beads or petrochemicals (including mineral oil) or use harsh preservatives. And of course not be tested on animals.
What does Certified Organic Skincare Mean?
Organic products must be grown without the use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals. Farming aside, products are ’organic’ if they’re formulated using all-natural ingredients, and are free from nasties like harsh preservatives, petroleum, and sodium lauryl sulphates as well as many other ingredients. Thankfully, the organic skin care and makeup industry is more controlled. Globally, the guidelines are pretty strict: for products to be certified, they must contain a certain level of organic ingredients along with a list of other strict criteria. There are a number of accredited certifiers in Australia and around the world, so look out for their logos:
● ACO (Australia)
● OFC (Australia)
● NASAA (Australia)
● Ecocert (Europe)
● USDA Organic (US)
● Soil Association (UK)
More information on certification logo's can be found under the What Does Certified Organic Mean? section of our ingredients policy.
