NATRUE Certification for Natural and Organic Cosmetics

The meaning of ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ in the cosmetics and skincare industry can be a bit woolly. There are no legally defined criteria for so-called natural or organic products which means that pretty much anyone can claim that their products are such.
Thankfully, NATRUE certification for beauty products is now available in the UK. NATRUE aims to provide some transparency and integrity for brands who are truly natural and organic.
NATRUE have three levels of certification:

• Natural Cosmetics - ingredients have to be natural but they do not have to be from organic cultivation.
• Natural Cosmetics with Organic Portion - ingredients have to be natural and a minimum of 70% of ingredients must be organically cultivated.
• Organic Cosmetics - ingredients have to be natural and a minimum of 95% of ingredients must be organically cultivated.

NATRUE has strict criteria which brands much must adhere to in order to become certified as natural and organic.
NATRUE certified products must meet the following criteria:

• No synthetic fragrances or colours
• No petroleum derived products
• No silicone products or derivatives.
• No genetically modified ingredients
• No irradiation of end products or botanical ingredients
• Products may not be tested on animals*

*When it comes to animal testing NATRUE will only certify brands which do not test products or ingredients on animals unless required to do so by law. For me personally this is not good enough. Luckily many NATRUE certified brands, such as Dr Hauschka and Lavera, are completely against animal testing under any circumstances and simply avoid any ingredients which would require animal testing under EU legislation.
You can visit www.nature.org to view as list of products who have achieved certification and you also look for the NATRUE logo on product packaging.My favorite moisturiser from Dr Hauschka, the Melissa Day Cream, is NATRUE certified. Check out my review of it here.
If you really want to get right down into all the nitty gritty of NATRUE and it’s product certification process and requirements then there is a wealth of information available on the website.
I hope you natural product lovers out there found this useful! it can be a bit of a minefield out there for those who want products which are as natural as possible!
Lisa x