Cosmetic certifications establish minimum and maximum percentages of natural and synthetic ingredients, they do not apply as a law, but are rather indicative of the consumer and come from private companies. In other words, we must also know how to apply our criteria to know how to differentiate the different products that the natural cosmetics market offers us.
Vegan cosmetics
Like the other products on the market that bear the same name, this type of cosmetic is characterized by guaranteeing the user that its products do not contain any ingredient of natural origin in their preparation. animal, and that during its elaboration process no animal product or derivative of animals was included, such as eggs, honey, carmine, etc. Now, although these brands generally do not test on animals, it does not mean that to be a vegan cosmetic it should not be. Likewise, within this classification we can find two types of vegan cosmetics: natural and synthetic. How to differentiate them? Although synthetic vegan cosmetics do not contain ingredients derived from animals, they mostly contain raw materials derived from petroleum, which may not be as beneficial for our health. On the other hand, natural vegan cosmetics assure the consumer that it is made only with vegetable raw materials. To ensure that we are using the correct cosmetics, we can look for products that have certifications that guarantee their natural origin, such as The Vegan Society, Ecocert, CosmeBio or ICEA. These certificates tell us that we are using quality products that correspond to the ethics and practices of veganism.
Within this type of cosmetic you can find our hydrogel facial masks, which are 100% vegan and free of animal suffering in its manufacture.
Natural Cosmetics
Also known as eco depending on the country where we are. But ultimately, all these names refer to the same principle: ecology. Its main characteristic is to use ingredients that are not only natural, but also its production and obtaining process has followed the criteria of organic farming. These criteria basically establish that fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or other products that are toxic to humans and the environment cannot be used during the process of growing their products. Thus, in this way it can be ensured that an ecological cosmetic will always be natural, but not necessarily a product that is cataloged as "natural" will be ecological. To ensure that we are using quality organic cosmetics, it is necessary to look for products that contain a certification that guarantees it. Some of the best-known certificates are Bio VidaSana, Cosmos and NaTrue.
It is important to mention that these types of certifications are not only about the product itself, but also seek to demonstrate the biodegradable nature of the packaging it contains. contain them.
In order for a product with these characteristics to obtain a certification and be considered organic in its entirety, it must be produced with at least 95% of its ingredients of natural and organic origin, that is to say that any product that contains chemical, hormonal or industrial ingredients in more than 5% will no longer be considered bio or organic.
Cruelty Free Cosmetics
This type of cosmetic includes all those products that throughout all their development phases did not carry out any type of testing on animals. As their name indicates, these products refer to the fact that they are formulated under strict “free of animal abuse” rules. This does not mean that these types of products are vegan or natural, although they usually are, but it is not necessarily exclusive.
It is important to mention that the responsibility of offering a product of this type does not only fall on the brand that markets the product, but it must also be guaranteed that no ingredient used in the cosmetic or any outsourced company that performs part of the process tests on animals.
It often happens that in some country the firm that produces and markets the product does not test on animals, but is part of a larger company that contains other brands that do. One of the best known cases is that of China, a country that requires cosmetics companies to carry out tests on animals. In this way, any brand that has worldwide recognized certifications such as cruelty free must lose them if it wishes to enter the Chinese market.of cosmetics. It is for this reason that our brand has no intention of expanding its market to that country.
Associations such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) They assure that procedures in which products are tested on animals are currently totally unnecessary, mainly for two fundamental reasons. One of them is that today we can count on many other alternatives that allow us to know the effects of a certain ingredient in human beings without having to resort to animal cruelty, such as synthetic fur or different new technologies. Another reason that invalidates the need to resort to animal cruelty is that most of the ingredients that are used today in the market have already been tested countless times and their effects are already registered and documented. Even so, currently there are still countless brands that choose to carry out tests on animals in order to ensure the final efficacy of their products.
< h2>Vegetarian cosmetics
Although for those who are not very used to the subject it can be confused with vegan cosmetics, it is important to note that they are not the same. Vegetarian cosmetics allow ingredients that come from animal production, such as milk, eggs or honey, to be used in their products. But, as in vegan cosmetics, ingredients that are of animal origin per se are not used.
In conclusion, currently the cosmetics market has expanded greatly and has a wide range of offers to please the tastes of all consumers. It is essential that each person is aware of what their skin and their body needs to be in harmony and well-being. In short, we all have different needs and the final choice will depend on the tastes and comfort of each consumer.