Newsletter Archive
February 2010
How do I recognize genuine natural cosmetics?
It is not always easy to differentiate between natural and pseudo-natural cosmetics – especially since the term “natural cosmetic” is not legally protected. With the aid of our checklist you can become an expert and detect marketing ploys with a glance at the ingredients.
A beginner’s guide to INCI
The law requires that the ingredients of a cosmetic product must be declared on the packaging or on a package insert using the INCI system. INCI stands for “International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients” and refers to the list of mandatory names to be used for cosmetics ingredients. Like food ingredients, the ingredients on the INCI list must be shown in descending order of the amounts present in the product – i.e. for each product the substance present in the largest quantity is named first and the smallest last.
The INCI will usually enable you to see whether a product really is natural or whether “natural” is just what it says on the box. While Dr.Hauschka Skin Care products usually also list the ingredients in the local language, with other brands it is not always so easy to decipher the INCI unless you are a chemist… But now you can use our checklist!
Oils
Conventional cosmetics … as a rule use mineral oil products such as paraffin oil (INCI: Paraffinum liquidum, ozokerite microcrystalline wax) or synthetic silicone oils (e.g. cyclomethicone, siloxane). In comparison with plant oils, paraffin and silicone oils are inexpensive, have a neutral fragrance and are not prone to oxidation. In higher concentrations, however, they form a coating on the skin and negatively affect natural skin processes.
Natural cosmetics … use high-quality plant oils and oily extracts. These are readily absorbed by the skin and their caring properties are undisputed. Every oil comes with a multitude of ingredients such as unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins or flavonoids in a natural combination. These stabilise and nurture the skin – natural skin functions are given maximum support.
Emulsifiers
In brief: emulsifiers are necessary in the manufacture of creams and lotions to bind the aqueous and fatty phases.
Conventional cosmetics … use mainly polyethylene glycols (INCI: abbreviated to “PEG”) as emulsifiers. These are inexpensive and easy to process. However, they are suspected of making the skin more porous to harmful substances.
Natural cosmetics … often use plant lecithin (INCI: lecithin). Glycerol fatty acid compounds (INCI: e.g. glyceryl stearate, glyceryl laurate) obtained from coconut fat are often used.
Fragrances & Colorants
Conventional cosmetics … usually use synthetic chemical colorants (e.g. azo dyes) and synthetic fragrances which may have a very strong smell. In the list of ingredients, however, natural essential oils as well as synthetic chemical fragrances must be declared as “parfum”. The case is similar for colours: all colorants must be shown as a CI (Colour Index) number. The consumer cannot know from the abbreviations given in the declaration whether the colorant used is a mineral iron oxide (e.g. INCI: CI77491), for example, or a synthetic azo dye.
Natural cosmetics … use especially pure mineral pigments as colorants and use exclusively natural essential oils as fragrances. Obtaining the oils is a complicated and expensive business. Over 3,000 kg of rose petals are required to produce one litre of rose essential oil. Essential oils have many different qualities. The best known are those such as the relaxing effect of lavender oil and the invigorating effect of essential oil of rosemary, for example.
Surfactant substances (tensides)
Conventional cosmetics … often use the tenside sodium lauryl sulfate (INCI) not only for shampoos and shower gels, but also for toothpaste. This substance is now regarded critically because of its potential for causing irritation.
Natural cosmetics … use mild, well-tolerated tensides whose manufacture is based on sustainable raw materials. Shampoos and shower gels contain usually contain sugar tensides (e.g. INCI: coco-glucoside). These do not lather quite as well as conventional tensides, however.
Preservatives
Conventional cosmetics … use preservatives above all in water-based products. The best-known of these are the parabens (e.g. INCI: ethylparaben, but also much more aggressive preservatives such as chlorhexidine compounds or formaldehyde releasers such as diazolidinyl urea).
Natural cosmetics … are allowed by the guidelines of the German industrial association BDIH for certified natural cosmetics to use certain nature-identical preservatives. In this case products must be labelled “preserved with … [name of preservative]”, however. Some cosmetics brands – including Dr.Hauschka Skin Care – avoid the use of preservatives entirely. To find out how Dr.Hauschka Skin Care nevertheless achieves a satisfactory level of stability for its products, read our interview with WALA Safety Assessor Hans-Jörg Rösch.
Active ingredients
Conventional cosmetics … often use relatively neutral mineral oils and silicones as product bases, as well as primarily synthetic “designer ingredients” which are supposed to serve a particular purpose such as skin firming, for example. But these raw materials may obstruct the natural processes of skin functions.
Natural cosmetics … use complex compositions of natural caring oils and waxes and – as further important components – plant extracts which are obtained with the aid of water, alcohol or oils. These are also used and advertised in many conventional products, but are often present in only small quantities. The INCI list of ingredients on the packaging usually shows the Latin name of the plant (e.g. Calendula Officinalis Extract, Rosa Damascena Extract etc.). Their many positive effects on the skin – for instance wound-healing properties – have long been known to folk medicine.
