Your ultimate guide to the difference between vegan, natural, organic, clean and fair trade beauty

For now, however, here’s a quick cheat-sheet of the most common beauty terms and what they actually mean… 

Natural Products

Often the most overused description in beauty, a product can be described as natural even if it has just 1% naturally-sourced, plant-based or mineral ingredients. The best way to know exactly what’s in the formula is to check the ingredients listing. In a natural product, you’d expect the botanicals up top and any synthetic ingredients nearer the bottom. Natural extracts will be named according to their scientific or Latin name so check a cosmetic dictionary if you’re not sure.

For ease, look for reputable brands that clearly state their natural percentage, such as Balance Me.

Most products require some level of preservatives that are often synthetic; 100% natural products will have a significantly shorter shelf life.

The Soil Association’s Cosmos Natural logo guarantees the products do not contain GM ingredients, controversial chemicals, parabens, phthalates, synthetic colours, dyes or fragrances.

Organic

Products only need to contain a minuscule percentage of organic ingredient to label themselves as organic. Yes, really!

So, the clearest way of understanding the organic credentials of a product is to always check the label and look out for the Soil Association Organic Logo. This certifies that the products are sourced and manufactured using sustainable, organically-farmed ingredients and are not tested on animals, free from harsh chemicals, nano particles, parabens, synthetic dyes and artificial fragrances. Find certified brands of hair, makeup and skincare
on Soil Association.

The Soil Association is now working to create a European standard, COSMOS (Cosmetic Organic Standard), with other organic certification bodies in Europe (including BDIH in Germany, Cosmebio and Ecocert in France and ICEA in Italy), so you may see these logos on brands from the continent.