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Natural & Organic Cosmetic Standards:
Harmonisation, yet Proliferation
Organic Monitor predicts 2008 to be a defining year for the natural
cosmetics industry. An industry shake-up is envisaged as widespread
adoption of natural & organic standards begins. This will eventually
lead to clear lines being drawn between legitimate natural / organic
products and pseudo products. |
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The most
important development this year will be the introduction of European
standards of natural and organic cosmetics. The leading
certification agencies in Europe have been working on harmonisation
of private standards for over a year. The European standards will be
unveiled in June 2008 and be implemented by the end of the year. This
development would give certified natural & organic cosmetic products
uniform logos for the first time. The successful implementation of
these standards could pave the way for EU regulations for natural &
organic cosmetics, similar to those for organic foods. The EU
introduced formal regulations for organic food production and
marketing in 1992.
Whilst the
agencies with the leading natural & organic cosmetic standards in
Europe are working on harmonisation, other groups are
developing their own standards.
Proliferation is occurring as various private standards are being
introduced by certification agencies, industry groups and retailers.
Most
proliferation is occurring in
North America. NSF International, which has been developing its
natural personal care standards for a number of years, will finally
unveil its standards this spring. At the same time, the Organic and
Sustainability Industry Standards (OASIS) for beauty and personal
care products will be introduced by a
trade group that includes manufacturers like Aveda and Hain
Celestial. Private standards have also been introduced by Certech
Registration, a Toronto-based standards agency.
NaTrue, an
industry group that represents natural cosmetic companies, has
recently announced that it is also developing its own standard. The
group plans to introduce its natural cosmetic standard later this
year, and will also lobby the EU for legal protection.
To add to the confusion, retailers are also developing their own
standards for natural & organic beauty products. Whole Foods Market
has just announced its Premium Body Care
Standard to differentiate its products from inferior naturals.
British retailers have already introduced natural personal care
ranges under their private labels, choosing to adopt industry
standards. However, Boots developed its own standard for its
Botanics Organics launch last year.
The reasoning behind private standards is to legitimise pure natural
& organic cosmetics from competing products that contain low levels
of natural ingredients and high levels of synthetic chemicals. The
industry, realising that standards and logos are important to build
consumer trust, is however dividing in terms of developing these
very standards.
Organic Monitor sees the industry moving in one of two directions.
The proliferation of standards could lead to further confusion as
consumers will be unable to distinguish between the various logos
and symbols on natural & organic cosmetic products. The adoption of
standards will succeed in differentiating pure naturals and organics
from pseudo-products, however not from each other.
This fragmentation of standards will also hinder global trade of
natural & organic cosmetics as national and regional logos become
entrenched. The organic food industry has followed this route.
Although the EU and USDA eventually introduced formal regulations to
integrate fragmented standards, the differences between the regional
standards continue to prevent trade between the
US
and the EU. The large number of organic food standards has also
caused a proliferation in the number of agencies involved in
certification, increasing to 468 last
year.
A more optimistic view is that the natural cosmetics industry will
follow the direction of the organic textiles industry. Industry
groups and certification agencies successfully introduced a Global
Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) in 2004. Private standards remain,
however a uniform global standard is in place for producers of
organic fibers and textiles. The global standard has set a level
playing field for growers & manufacturers, facilitating
international trade and strengthening consumer demand.
The leading European certification agencies have already agreed upon
harmonisation of natural & organic standards. It is now up to the
leading agencies and industry groups in other regions whether they
would like to align themselves to these standards and make global
harmonisation a reality…or a myth.
The impact of natural & organic standards on the
cosmetics industry is to be debated at the upcoming Natural Beauty
Summit America (New York, May 15-17). Please visit
the website for
more details.
Related Report:
#3001-60
The North American Market for Natural & Organic
PC Products
Posted: March 6th 2008
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