What is a natural cosmetic product?

Classic cosmetics, natural cosmetics, organic cosmetics… it’s not always easy to find your way around the different categories of cosmetic products.
Let’s take a look at how a natural cosmetic is defined.

What is a natural cosmetic product?

A natural cosmetic product is a cosmetic product that must be composed of natural ingredients, i.e. that come from nature: these can be of plant, animal (land or sea), or mineral origin.

There’s no legal definition of a natural product, but to put it simply, it’s a product of natural origin, i.e. that contains no or very few chemical or synthetic elements.

Note: since 1 July 2019, advertising claims for cosmetic products must comply with Cosmetics Regulation no. 655/2013, pursuant to the ARPP (Professional Regulatory Authority for Advertising) recommendations.
Consequently, a cosmetic product can only be described as “natural” or “of natural origin” if its natural content or content of natural origin is greater than or equal to 95%.

Which natural substances are we talking about?

In general, natural cosmetics use natural substances derived from plants such as fruits, flower extracts, roots and essential oils etc.

What’s the difference between a natural ingredient and an ingredient of natural origin?

A natural ingredient is a substance derived from nature that has undergone a physical transformation and that does not require the addition of any solvent or alter the original chemical structure of the natural substance or its original active properties.

An ingredient of natural origin is a natural ingredient that has undergone a chemical transformation to change its functions and its original active properties.
For example, preservatives and emulsifiers are ingredients that have no active properties but which, when added to natural ingredients, modify their functions and enhance their benefits.

How do you differentiate a natural cosmetic product from a classic or organic cosmetic product?

Unlike a classic cosmetic product (also known as a chemical cosmetic product), a natural cosmetic product does not contain any additives or chemical substances that can harm the skin.

Be careful not to confuse “natural cosmetic products” with “organic cosmetic products”: the first must be of natural origin (plant, mineral or animal), while the second must be derived from organic agriculture (that is, agriculture which has not involved any chemical or synthetic substances).

Between 95% and 100% of a natural cosmetic product’s ingredients are generally of natural origin. This concentration is not mandatory unlike organic products which must:

• Contain 95%-100% natural origin ingredients derived from organic agriculture
• The proportion of organically produced ingredients must be at least 20% of the finished product (and at least 10% in the case of mineral and rinse-off products).