What is the difference between "bio", "organic", "eco", "vegan" and "vegetarian" product?
Hello to all environmentally cautious shoppers and the ones who want to be so. We understand that mere goodwill is not enough to transform user behavior into a more mindful and resource-saving one.
Information is the key. Not just any information but credible one, that originates from respected sources. An "eco-friendly" user becomes such when he educates himself through carefully reading the labels and not just jumping in any pseudo-natural trend. Nowadays, marketing techniques like packaging design, brand names, or claims can be, to say the least, misleading. That's why we wanted to shed light on some of the most frequently used terms in the industry of natural cosmetics.
1. ECO
While strolling around the supermarket isles, we can see the word “eco” popping up from every other product label, whether it is bags, car accessories, bottled water, or shoes. That's because using this word has no explicit legal regulation and a manufacturer can claim it based on his interpretation or desire to sound more natural.
In fact “eco” should refer to something that is ecological and sustainable, whether is the product itself, the impact on the environment or anything else. The term “eco” should bring more of a moral value than a physical characteristic. Our honest advice is to think for a moment when you see that something is “eco” and decide for yourself if you want to be associated with it.
2. NATURAL
Claiming “natural” in cosmetics is better regulated than claiming “eco”, however there’s a lack of a universal definition or harmonized standard, as the European Commission suggests Generally, natural products are expected to be made of natural plant, mineral or animal-related substances. The guidelines of the Council of Europe define a 'natural cosmetic' as a product consisting of natural substances of botanical, mineral or animal origin, exclusively obtained through physical, microbiological or enzymatic methods, with certain exceptions for fragrances and preservatives.
3. BIO/ORGANIC
Let’s see what’s the case with claiming “bio”. Let's first say that "bio" and "organic" are two different words for one and the same thing. Thankfully, one cannot simply print those on his label or promote them around in ads. Bioproducts have to be certified by a registered third party that strictly examines the applicant product, the origin of raw materials, and their documentation. Also, a company has to pay to receive a bio certificate after it has proven the actual usage of biomaterials in the products' recipe. Having a bio certification is the actual filter for evaluating a real eco-friendly brand from a sham.
There are several bio stamps that you should be on the lookout for.
ECO CERT COSMOS ORGANIC is the highest level of bio certification one can get. It includes several high standards such as all ingredients being from natural origin, at least 95% of the plants the product contains to be organic, absence of petrochemical ingredients, recyclable packaging, and more. That is why Nordics chose this particular certification for its organic line of toothpastes.
Now that we’ve covered how to easily recognize an actual organic product, we want to give the facts about “vegan” and “vegetarian” in the context of cosmetics.
Vegan cosmetics (or 100% Vegan) are the ones that don’t contain any animal-related ingredients such as carmine (food colorant), gelatin, honey, beeswax, lanolin (wool wax), snail extract, pearl powder (enamel whitening agent), and the list goes on. This is another claim that's not thoroughly regulated by official authorities, so basically, anybody can put it on his packaging depending on his understanding.
We want to be honest with our customers and to make them feel safe about the ingredients in our products and this is why we partner with one of the biggest and more respected vegan organisations - The Vegan Society UK. They perform a very strict audit on every product and if it covers their standard, it could be labeled as 100% vegan.
Vegetarian cosmetic products exclude animal ingredients but can contain animal by-products that don't affect the animal wellbeing such as colostrum or egg extract.
The idea behind this is that if your consumer credo is that killing animals for fur or food is wrong, then it should be the same for every product.
Well, those are the basics in recognizing true from false, vegan from vegetarian. We hope that we've pitched in your knowledge and contributed to a more informed choice next time.