Is there a difference between “natural” and “organic” products?

The distinction between natural and organic skincare products can be confusing. It doesn't help that many brands invest a lot of money in their marketing to blur the difference as much as possible to appeal to consumers. For example, a product may be labelled as “natural” even if it contains synthetic preservatives or fragrances. Similarly, a product could be labelled as “organic” even if only a small percentage of its ingredients are actually certified organic. To avoid falling for these tactics, it’s important to carefully read the labels and ingredient lists and look for third-party certifications that verify a product’s claims. 

So does organic and natural mean the same thing? 

The terms natural and organic can be hard to accurately define as they are fairly unregulated in most countries.

Generally, natural only refers to products or substances produced by a living organism that can be found in nature. For instance: Parabens are not natural as they’re synthesised in a lab, while an ingredient such as Aloe Vera is natural as it’s a plant or living organism. 

However, there are no guidelines regarding how a natural product’s ingredients are grown or processed, so the use of synthesised chemicals such as pesticides is often allowed.

On the other hand, organic refers to products that are natural and obtained in an organic manner - that is without being altered, grown or developed by adding synthesised chemicals or other additives.

To explain further, a product sourced from a farm heavily relying on synthesised pesticides to cultivate their crops is not organic but it is still considered natural. If the product comes from a farm that follows organic processes and does not use synthesised pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers, it would be considered organic. 

Another example would be essential oils.

An essential oil can be labelled as natural because it comes from a plant. However, if the oil is not organic, synthesised pesticides and fertilisers used during farming may have transferred, in concentrated doses, in the final product.

That’s why it’s so important to buy organic and pure essential oils.

Why are certifications important?

Unfortunately, the terms “natural” and “organic” are not regulated. That means there's no rules about the proportion and quality of ingredients that should be used in a natural or organic product.

If you want to be sure of the quality of the products you are using, it’s important to consider “certified” products.

Most certified products will display their certification labels on the front or back of their packaging.

Due to the lack of general definition regarding what a “natural” product is, there are not many natural cosmetic certifications.

The most common ones are: 

ECOCERT in Europe:
This requires a minimum of 95% of the total ingredients to come from natural origin.

A minimum of 50% of all plant-based ingredients in the formula and a minimum of 50% of all ingredients by weight must come from organic farming.

BDIH and NATRUE in Europe:
Both BDIH and NATRUE have guidelines covering the ingredients and production process of natural skincare products.

Organic Certifications:
Unlike natural products, there are many more organic certifications out there. They exist to protect consumers and help them choose the right organic skincare products. 

A certified organic skincare product contains a majority of organic ingredients. The proportion depends on the certification, but it’s usually above 95%.

Remaining non-organic ingredients must comply with some rules as well. For instance, in the US, they must be approved on the National List.

Some natural ingredients frequently found in cosmetics (water, salts, minerals) cannot be certified as organic because they are not sourced from farming.

Main organic certifications include USDA in the US, ACO and NASAA in Australia, and ECOCERT in Europe.

For the USDA, ACO and NASAA certifications:

• 100% organic = 100% certified organic content (by weight).
• “Certified organic” = 95-100% certified organic content (by weight).
• “Made with certified organic ingredients” = 70-95% certified organic content (by weight).
• <70% certified content cannot make any certification claims and can only list ingredients as “organic”.

To qualify for the ECOCERT Organic Cosmetic label, products must have:

• A minimum of 95% of the total ingredients are from natural origin.
• A minimum of 95% of all plant-based ingredients in the formula and a minimum of 10% of all ingredients by weight must come from organic farming.

It is important to understand the difference between these main certifications, as ECOCERT-certified products are often cheaper than ACO and USDA-certified cosmetics.

• USDA, ACO and NASAA assess the quality of organic ingredients by weight, whereas ECOCERT is by the number of the ingredients listed on the product label.
• USDA, ACO and NASAA require a minimum of 95% of all ingredients by weight to be organic while ECOCERT only requires a 10% minimum.
• For USDA, ACO and NASAA, the remaining (non-organic) ingredients must not be available organically and they also must be listed on very strict and short standards. ECOCERT may allow some controversial ingredients such as synthetic preservatives or petrochemicals. 

It’s good to be aware of the varying requirements of different certifications to ensure you know what you’re getting. 

As an example, if you buy an essential oil certified by ECOCERT, it may only contain a minimum of 10% organic oil. If it’s certified by USDA, ACO or NASAA, at least 95% of it will be organic.

Can brands use the word “natural” or “organic” on their packaging without being certified?

It depends on local legislation, but in most countries, brands can use the words natural and organic on their packaging without being certified as long as it’s not considered misleading. A product or brand could be audited to check that the quantity or type of ingredients they use, or their production processes, are actually “natural” or “organic”.

Of the two, the term organic does tend to be more regulated. In the US for instance, brands do need to be certified to use the word “organic” on their packaging. 

But that’s not the case in Australia where brands can display “organic” on packaging without being certified. The only way to be sure a product is truly organic is to look out for products that have been certified by a recognised organisation (e.g., NASAA in Australia).

A brand could certainly use the word Organic in its name and still sell products that are not entirely organic. They could be full of synthesised chemicals with just one organic ingredient. It’s not surprising that customers could make a choice without realising the product they’re buying is not entirely organic or even natural. 

How to assess if the products you buy are truly natural or organic.

Don’t be influenced by marketing and packaging.
Information on packaging such as the words natural or organic can be loosely regulated and used by different brands as marketing tools. Focus on certifications and lists of ingredients.

Certifications: a simple and easy check
Look for the appropriate logo (depending on your country) or the mention “certified natural” or “certified organic”. Make sure the logo identifies as a well-known and respected certification which has clearly defined rules to classify products as natural or organic.

Dive into the list of ingredients.
There are strict rules on how ingredients must be ranked by decreasing concentration in the final product (the main ingredients are first in the list, ingredients near the end will be present in small quantities).

Synthesised chemical components are named by their scientific name, while natural ingredients usually use Latin names. If some ingredients are “organic” or “certified organic” it’s usually indicated in the list.

Do your homework!
Many brands try to improve their “natural” image, trying to sell “natural” products which in fact may contain significant quantities of non-natural ingredients. To avoid this marketing pitfall, do your research upfront on the different brands, ingredients and certifications.