“The five major European organic and natural cosmetics standard-setting organisations came together to harmonise their respective standards. Between them these standards are used by over 1600 companies manufacturing and selling over 25,000 products in more than 45 countries worldwide.”
The 5 organisations now adhering to these standards are: BDIH, COSMEBIO, Ecocert Greenlife, ICEA, & Soil Association
Quotes taken from the COSMOS 'Natural' Standards guidelines:
“chemical processes allowed for processing agro-ingrédients: alkylation, amidation, calcination of plants residues, carbonization (resins, fatty organic oils), condensation / addition, esterification / trans-esterification / inter-esterification, etherification, fermentation (natural / biotechnological), hydration, hydrogenation, hydrolysis, ionic exchange, neutralization, oxydization / reduction, phosphorylation (permitted only for ingredients for leave-on products), saponification, sulphation/sulphatation.”
What this actually means: All the processes mentioned are powerful chemical reactions and alterations. It’s hard to think of anything less natural than the products of these chemical processes. These are the classic chemical processes which underpin the production of synthetics. How can a ‘Natural’ standards organisation possibly allow these?
They try desperately to try and justify it by saying “ … the chemical treatments must respect the principles of Green Chemistry” They think that by inserting the word ‘Green’ that consumers will be duped into thinking that these powerful chemical reactions and their byproducts will not be dangerous.
“… a very limited list of preservatives and some other ingredients and petrochemical moieties are temporarily allowed and are reviewed on a regular basis, taking into account availability of acceptable alternatives.”
These include:
Benzoic acid and its salts
Salicylic acid and its salts
Sorbic acid and its salts
Dehydroacetic Acid and its salts
Denatonium Benzoate
Tertiary Butyl Alcohol
Denaturing agents for alcohol (excluding phthalates)
Benzyl alcohol
What this actually means: These are all synthetic preservatives! Although some of them are present in plants (at very low volumes), they are always synthetically produced for the cosmetics industry, and used at much higher levels than found in nature.
“Included is any chemically processed product of plant, animal, or microbial origin”
What this actually means: Allows any ingredient to be chemically altered and thus synthetic.
“Petrochemical moieties must not exceed a total of 2% of the total finished product.”
What this actually means: Petrochemical moieties is a euphemism for ingrédients derived from the petro-chemical industry.“Petrochemical solvents may be used.” What this actually means: These powerful synthetic chemical solvents have been linked to many health problems, and are not remotely natural.
“Aqueous solutions of mineral acids (hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid,etc.) are allowed as manufacturing auxiliaries for neutralization, purification and extraction.”
What this actually means: Powerful and dangerous synthetic mineral acids are being allowed in their certified products.
Other examples of “Certified Natural” synthetic chemical Ingredients on the COSMOS Allowed list:
Tetra Sodium Glutamate Diacetate
Dialkyl Carbonate
Alkyl Methyl Glucamide
Alkyl amphoacetate/diacetate
Carboxy Methyl – Vegetal polymer
Hydroxypropyl Trimonium Chloride …and many more!
What this actually means: None of these (and many more on the list) are found in nature! They are purely synthesised ingredients.
Natrue
nb. All text in “quotation marks” (unless stated otherwise) is taken directly from the NaTrue website at: http://www.natrue.org/
“Natural substances are substances of botanic, inorganic-mineral or animal origin (except for dead vertebrates) and their mixtures and reaction products with each other.”
What this actually means: Er, “reaction products” are chemical reactions to create synthetic products!
“For the preservation of natural cosmetics, the nature-identical preservatives listed in Annex 2a may be used”
What this actually means: “Oh dear – ‘nature-identical’ means that that they are synthetically produced in huge volumes!
“Derived natural substances may only be used for the production of natural cosmetics if they are recovered using chemical reactions, including biotechnological processes, from natural substances”
What this actually means: Derived natural substances’ are products that have been chemically altered (i.e. they’re synthetic chemicals). The deception they try and get away with is that some of the reactants were originally natural – however, when you really look at what it implies it is meaningless because every single chemical and substance ever synthesised originally used natural ingredients!
“The following chemical reactions are permitted: hydrolysis (including saponification), neutralisation, condensation with elimination of water, esterification, transesterification, hydrogenation, hydrogenolysis, dehydrogenation, glycosidation, phosphorylation, sulphatation, acylation, amidation, oxidation (with oxygen, ozone and peroxides) and pyrolysis.”
What this actually means: Same as with COSMOS – these are all classic everyday chemical reactions that completely alter the state and properties of the constituent products. This is the very definition of synthetic products! It is a complete deception.
Example of allowed “Certified Natural Cosmetics” on the NaTrue Allowed list inAnnex 1 -5 (http://www.natrue.org/meta/downloads/ ): Virtually the same chemical ingredients allowed as COSMOS (+ a few others).
What this actually means: Extensive allowance for purely synthetic products again. Makes the concept of natural meaningless
Conclusions COSMOS and NaTrue are bodies created by and accountable to their membership: ie. the very same “Natural” manufacturers who have failed to produce truly natural products. This allows their membership to hide behind the cover of a supposedly reputable ‘Standards’ certificate that misleads the public into trusting their brands. JooMo® can categorically state that we will never apply for membership of either COSMOS or NaTrue! MORE INFORMATION
Open Natural Labelling Association (ONLA) www.ONLA.org.uk
Email: info@ONLA.org.uk
Conclusions
COSMOS and NaTrue are bodies created by and accountable to their membership: ie. the very same “Natural” manufacturers who have failed to produce truly natural products. This allows their membership to hide behind the cover of a supposedly reputable ‘Standards’ certificate that misleads the public into trusting their brands.
JooMo® can categorically state that we will never apply for membership of either COSMOS or NaTrue!
Why we need the ONLA
Why the Cosmetics Industry needs the ONLA
How the leading industry ‘Standards’ organisations for ‘Natural Cosmetics‘ mislead the public.
Organisations : COSMOS & NaTrue
Cosmos
Overview
“The five major European organic and natural cosmetics standard-setting organisations came together to harmonise their respective standards. Between them these standards are used by over 1600 companies manufacturing and selling over 25,000 products in more than 45 countries worldwide.”
The 5 organisations now adhering to these standards are: BDIH, COSMEBIO, Ecocert Greenlife, ICEA, & Soil Association
Quotes taken from the COSMOS 'Natural' Standards guidelines:
alkylation, amidation, calcination of plants residues, carbonization (resins, fatty organic oils), condensation / addition, esterification / trans-esterification / inter-esterification, etherification, fermentation (natural / biotechnological), hydration, hydrogenation, hydrolysis, ionic exchange, neutralization, oxydization / reduction, phosphorylation (permitted only for ingredients for leave-on products), saponification, sulphation/sulphatation.”
What this actually means: All the processes mentioned are powerful chemical reactions and alterations. It’s hard to think of anything less natural than the products of these chemical processes. These are the classic chemical processes which underpin the production of synthetics. How can a ‘Natural’ standards organisation possibly allow these?
They try desperately to try and justify it by saying “ … the chemical treatments must respect the principles of Green Chemistry”
They think that by inserting the word ‘Green’ that consumers will be duped into thinking that these powerful chemical reactions and their byproducts will not be dangerous.
These include:
What this actually means: These are all synthetic preservatives! Although some of them are present in plants (at very low volumes), they are always synthetically produced for the cosmetics industry, and used at much higher levels than found in nature.
What this actually means: Allows any ingredient to be chemically altered and thus synthetic.
What this actually means: Petrochemical moieties is a euphemism for ingrédients derived from the petro-chemical industry.“Petrochemical solvents may be used.”
What this actually means: These powerful synthetic chemical solvents have been linked to many health problems, and are not remotely natural.
What this actually means: Powerful and dangerous synthetic mineral acids are being allowed in their certified products.
…and many more!
Natrue
nb. All text in “quotation marks” (unless stated otherwise) is taken directly from the NaTrue website at: http://www.natrue.org/
Overview
(ref: http://www.natrue.org/about-natrue/our-members-and-our-secretariat/ ):
“In 2007, several European manufacturers of Natural and Organic Cosmetics joined forces and founded NATRUE.”
“Others have joined since and we already represent a big part of the European Natural and Cosmetics market.”
“We pursue a common goal: to safeguard and promote pure, authentic natural beauty and skin care products.”
Quotes from the NaTrue “Permitted Ingredients & Processes” guidelines:
(ref: http://www.natrue.org/fileadmin/natrue/downloads/Criteria_2.4/NATRUE-Label_Requirements_V2-4_14022012_EN.pdf )
What this actually means: Er, “reaction products” are chemical reactions to create synthetic products!
What this actually means: “Oh dear – ‘nature-identical’ means that that they are synthetically produced in huge volumes!
What this actually means: Derived natural substances’ are products that have been chemically altered (i.e. they’re synthetic chemicals). The deception they try and get away with is that some of the reactants were originally natural – however, when you really look at what it implies it is meaningless because every single chemical and substance ever synthesised originally used natural ingredients!
What this actually means: Same as with COSMOS – these are all classic everyday chemical reactions that completely alter the state and properties of the constituent products. This is the very definition of synthetic products! It is a complete deception.
Virtually the same chemical ingredients allowed as COSMOS (+ a few others).
What this actually means: Extensive allowance for purely synthetic products again. Makes the concept of natural meaningless
Conclusions
COSMOS and NaTrue are bodies created by and accountable to their membership: ie. the very same “Natural” manufacturers who have failed to produce truly natural products. This allows their membership to hide behind the cover of a supposedly reputable ‘Standards’ certificate that misleads the public into trusting their brands.
JooMo® can categorically state that we will never apply for membership of either COSMOS or NaTrue!
MORE INFORMATION
Open Natural Labelling Association (ONLA)
www.ONLA.org.uk
Email:
info@ONLA.org.uk
Conclusions
COSMOS and NaTrue are bodies created by and accountable to their membership: ie. the very same “Natural” manufacturers who have failed to produce truly natural products. This allows their membership to hide behind the cover of a supposedly reputable ‘Standards’ certificate that misleads the public into trusting their brands.
JooMo® can categorically state that we will never apply for membership of either COSMOS or NaTrue!
© 2019 Open Natural Labelling Association (ONLA)
www.ONLA.org.uk
Email:
info@ONLA.org.uk