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Organic cosmetics, non-biologic cosmetics

Organic cosmetics - non bio cosmetics


Organic cosmetics: a reality or a lure

If natural cosmetics exists, true organic cosmetics is very rare !
To be 100% organic, all ingredients that make up the product should be all from organic farming, which is often impossible. It is enough that cosmetics contain water for example so that it is no longer 100% organic.
Some manufacturers found the solution by replacing water with hydrolat, which allows them to significantly increase the % of bio in the composition.
You also have raw materials that do not exist in organic or are very cherished. It is better to be a good non-bio active ingredient than an active organic matter without effect !
Be careful with the names. "bio" is only regulated for food products. some unscrupulous manufacturers can still talk about organic cosmetics without reference to organic farming.
Any organic product must be marked INCI but not the concentration, manufacturing process or part of the plant used. reading labels is often very difficult, unless you are a chemist and have a very good view !
This inci marking does not actually allow consumers to find themselves there: the manufacturer can, for example, hide the term phthalate (solvent) under the name "fragrant".
Buy in a bio store "bio cosmetics" unfortunately, it is not always a guarantee since we can find in some of these shops cosmetics containing these famous parabens, yet suspected of being carcinogenic.
So we advise you to buy products that wear a label recognized as BDIH (Allemagne), Nature of progress or cosmebio that offers you the guarantee of having a cosmetic that respects a specifications whose synthetic products are excluded.

On our website you will find:

- Under the label nature and progress (biotic cosmetics - ecologic) :
Baths - showers, , Shampoos, , Body milk, , Liquid soaps, , Shea butter, , Bodily harm, , Fat skin, , Dry skin, , Normal skin., etc
- Under the bdih label (controlled natural cosmetic):
Hair care, , Care for men, , Baby care, , Makeup, , Toothpaste, , Acne skin, , Anticellulite oil, , Deodorants, , Hands and lips care, etc
- Under the cosmebio label:
Insect protection, , Creme to arnica and massage gel, , Intimate hygiene, , Shamp. anti-poux, etc



Not to confuse natural and ... natural.

A problem : if the term "bio" is normally regulated, the term "natural" is not yet perfectly defined.
A truth : if we go back far enough into the production chain, everything, absolutely everything, comes from nature. but can one call natural a product from petrochemicals, whose development required the intervention of chemical manipulations that completely alter the original component ?
An alert : the cellular system does not "recognize" these molecules invented from all parts, unexpected consequences may occur (irritations, intolerance reactions, allergies, ...).
Some consider that a natural product comes directly from nature, without transformation. if this definition has the advantage of being perfectly clear, it does not allow for a large choice of raw materials.
A marker : the most acceptable definition is that found in the specifications of the various labels that guarantee you that the "biotic cosmetic" that you buy is not a "bio-simili.".
The ingredients used must be obtained by mechanical transformation, distillation, cooking, mechanical filtering, fermentation and oxidation. Moreover, they must be easily recyclable and biodegradable.



Did you know ?

Bio or non-bio, there are 26 allergens with mandatory labelling. They most often come from essential perfumes or oils: lemonene, linalol, geraniol, lemonellol, eugenol, cinnamal, farnesol or benzyl alcohol as the curator of the same name.

Note: By 2020, all European labels will be gathered in a common charter: the cosmos, in order to harmonize the different repositories.



Comparative table of ingredients

Non-certified cosmeticsCertified organic cosmetics
Water or hydrolat sometimes Active plant hydrolats bio
Mineral oils from petrochemicals(paraffin, mineral oil, vaseline) and silicones. or natural oils in varying proportions. Natural oils, generally organic.
Emulsionnant petroleum derivatives, chemical synthesis derivatives, Peg (polethylene glycols)authorized. may be irritating and are pollutants. Emulsifiers derived from sugar or vegetable raw materials: peg forbidden. Lanoline(extract from sheep wool suint) allowed.
Synthetic gellings, often acrylate, or acrylamide... Natural gellings only: gums and celluloses
Humectants, all glycols are allowed: propylene glycol, butylene glycol ... they can be irritating. Humectants: glycerin or sorbitol for example. glycoles are forbidden.
Authorized synthetic antioxidants: BHT, BHA .classified as carcinogens ! ! Natural antioxidants only: natural or extract of plants.
Conservatives: all possibilities, including organohalogen derivatives or highly reactive formol donors. sometimes the parabens are replaced by worse ! Conservatives: only those authorized by the charters.
Dyes and perfume : all possibilities, including those with unstable benzenic nuclei, and in these cases stabilized by other chemicals ! Colours : only those authorized by the charters, natural or naturally colored active dyes. Perfumes natural allowed, often essential oils.
Ph regulators: nitrosamines possible, such as triethanolamine, highly produced reactive. Ph regulators: Nitrosamines prohibited, soda or lactic acid is used.
Stabilizer agent: all possible, like theEDTA, very controversial Stabilizing agent: edta is forbidden, uses gums or natural vitamins.
No minimum percentage requested. lack of a specific charter controlled by an independent body. Up to 5% of synthetic ingredients, and only those allowed, is possible. charters encourage a maximum of ingredients from organic farming in formulae.


Attention to marketing slogans

Who did not dream in front of cosmetics-natural advertisements promising less wrinkles, soft and shiny hair and all the strengths of beauty at any age ?
But these advertising campaigns are very expensive, the margins are high, the research departments require important budgets and the final product must be the least costly possible: will it still be really natural and organic cosmetqiue ?
The four marketing slogans : nature, care and beauty, craftsmanship and tradition, state-of-the-art technology.
We found some examples of various articles:

  • Nature for man", 93% natural ingredients : (water, alcohol + colorants, 100% chemical perfumes and preservatives).
  • Bio-cure and Bio-vitalia: nothing organic, nor indeed natural in these ranges.
  • In nature there are immense resources for the beauty of women : cheap synthetic ingredients + plant extracts + silicones.
  • Natural cologne water : anti-oxidant + peg + protective filter and five synthetic and toxic dyes.
  • Natural spray We're looking for natural !
  • Soft, extra soft.: most of the time it is mineral oils that prevent pores from breathing.
  • Hypoallergenic : this is not a reference since some products contain irritating or allergic bases.
  • Fruit, plants, essential oils - maybe. but how much ?
  • milk with grapefruit: citric acid + grapefruit perfume.
  • Shower with essential oils : while its composition does not indicate any essential oil.
  • Monoid shower : it contains only 0.3% of real monoid extract.
  • exotic fruit shampoo : 0 % of fruit, fully synthetic.
  • Fruit water : with 0% natural extract.
  • soap with essential oils and honey : the composition does not indicate essential oil, the honey fragrance is synthetic.
  • Perfume of fat : so fat was for a long time the "capital" of natural perfumes, this time is over. It is important to know that almost all fragrances and fragrances are developed synthetically (most natural fragrances are very expensive).
  • The collagen molecule that is supposed to "remove" our wrinkles, is too big to be able to penetrate into the connective tissue, as in fact the famous liposomes that are mostly destroyed outside the skin.

This list is of course not exhaustive, but it just gives an idea of principle.
It is important to remember that components that really have therapeutic actions and those that can penetrate the venous system are banned in cosmetics!



Why buy a organic cosmetic product ?

1. for your health:
Many articles, studies, tests inform us that the use of certain molecules from petrochemicals can be dangerous (cumulative effects denounced by green peace).
The oms has proven that mineral oils can be stored in the body, damage the liver or inflammation of the valvules of the heart (due to paraffine wax for example).
Moreover, only a few mineral oils and some petroleum products were tested. it is likely that on the hundreds of molecules used in cosmetics (approximately 9,000 listed chemicals) we discover some of them that are far from anodine!
On the other hand, vegetable oils and fats (almond oil, avocado, jojoba, shea butter, ...) are very close to the fatty acids constituting the skin. This allows for a better recognition of these and thus a better efficiency.
2. for its quality:
Quality "bio" cosmetics contain a significant amount of active ingredients (+ 30% for some products). Unfortunately this is not the case of so-called "conventional" cosmetics that for margin reasons rarely exceed 1.% certain brand products are exceptional, but their price is often identical to organic cosmetics.
3. for the environment:
We find in the cosmetics from the petrochemical, certain materials, such as mineral oils or silicone oils ,very little biodegradable and therefore harmful to the environment.


No danger ?

Cosmetics manufacturers ensure that there is no reason to worry because molecules do not pass through the skin.
It is true in theory, but according to the pr jf. nicolas, researcher in immunology to inserm, it is far from being proven for all molecules used .
Moreover, polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (hap) have recently been banned since it has been proven that they would enter the skin and could cause carcinogenesis.



Regulation on cosmetics

A decision of the European Commission in 1998 obliges the laboratories to include on the packaging all the components, based on the inci European system (international nomenclature of cosmetic ingredients).
Ingredients are classified in descending order (7th February 2005).
They are classified in decreasing order of concentration, as in food labelling, but only for the first ingredients.
Nothing prevents placing a fruit extract at 0.001%, well before a toxic preservative at 0.1%.

In 2005, the European Cosmetic Directive (76/768/EEC) restricts the use in cosmetic products of substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic and/or toxic to reproduction.
However, hormonal disruptors (such as parabens) are not taken into account.
This directive does not provide for the application of a precautionary principle that would consist of the elimination or substitution of suspected or recognized unwanted chemical molecules.

A stability date or expiry date (from the opening date) must now appear on the packagings of cosmetic products.
This is often symbolized by a cream pot drawing on which is indicated 12m for twelve months.

REACH is the new Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restrictions of Chemicals.
It entered into force on 1 June 2007.


REACH streamlines and improves the former regulatory framework of the European Union (E) on chemicals.
The main objectives of reach are:
- better protect human health and the environment from the risks of chemicals,
- promote alternative test methods,
- promote the free movement of substances in the domestic market,
- to strengthen competitiveness and innovation.


REACH makes the industry responsible:
- to assess and manage the risks posed by chemicals,
- to provide security information to their users.
At the same time, the European Union can take additional measures, concerning extremely dangerous substances, when complementary action at the European level proves necessary.

But this new regulation remains difficult to put in place: lobbying, financial impact, etc. to follow !



Composition of bio cosmetics

Overall, the difference between organic cosmetics and a non-bio cosmetic is summarized in a few important points: the components used, the manufacturing process, the quantity of active ingredients and the quality of the product.
Whether it is a cream, a gel or an emulsion, cosmetics all have an almost identical composition: excipients + active ingredients + additives (for shampoos, shower gel, etc.). the excipient is the lavante base).

1. the excipient
The excipient (basic material) is very important since it can represent, for example, 80% of the whole product. It is also important because it is, in large part, the cause of the quality and effectiveness of the product.
We now understand why it is best to have an excipient based on raw vegetable fat (mostly virgin oils) or natural waxes that are themselves a mine of active principles rather than paraffin oil without any positive action.
2. active principles
The active principles that enter into the composition of productsbio cosmetics can be very varied: clay, trace elements, vitamins, fruits, vegetables, essential oils. they must of course be of natural origin.
3. Addenda
Additivesbio cosmetics must be limited to the essential. no coloring to attract the eye or perfume to mask unpleasant odors.


15 rules if you do not use organic cosmetics

1 Remove from your bathroom cabinet which is not essential, avoiding double products.
2 Avoid baby wipes, which can contain parabens and propylene glycol.
3 If you make a daily shampoo, try to space your next shampoos one day or two and check the difference.
4 If you are concerned about the composition of your sun cream, limit its use by covering or standing away from the sun. According to cancer research uk, currently only 30% of us remain in the shade.
5 Avoid unnecessary use of high sun protection products.
6 Reduce the number of foaming baths that can present irritating detergents for the skin.
7 Clean your face with floral water or cold water instead of using a lotion.
8 Everyone reads food labels, so take the habit of doing the same with cosmetics.
9 If you want to be sure that a cosmetic is organic, look for the logo. words like biological, natural and hypoallergenic generally do not mean much in the beauty industry.
10 Follow the directions and use only what you need.
11 Remove non-biotic hygienic pads and towels. Cotton is bleached with chlorine. preferably use 100% pure cotton and ogm-free products.
12 Rediscover the natural henna.
13 If you cannot give up nail polish, protect the cuticles with oil. Although the part of the nail you see is dead, it is still porous and can absorb the chemicals used in varnish and dissolvent, such as toluene, acetone and formaldehyde. favor the use of varnish without formaldehyde, without toluene and without colophane.
14 Most lipsticks contain oil derivatives. try bee wax, vegetable oils or vitamin e.
15 Concerning deodorants, there are now more natural products on the market. Do not hesitate to try several before finding the one that suits you.

Original file /www.guardian.co.uk/chemicalworld/