Is there a difference between natural and organic?

Cosmetic products with the words natural and organic on their labels are rising in popularity. They have also become more readily available over the past couple of years. However, the terms natural and organic can be misleading.

A product ingredient is considered to be natural when it is sourced from nature rather than created synthetically. Synthetic actives are produced through laboratory manipulation and are not found in nature, although it is possible to create synthetic versions of natural ingredients (such as Vitamin E).

Natural products generally don’t include ingredients like petrochemicals, parabens, sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates, phthalates, synthetic dyes and synthetic colours.

Botanicals like aloe, chamomile, shea butter, beeswax, and essential oils are all examples of natural ingredients with a ton of benefits for hair and skin. A natural ingredient or active is considered to be anything that is a plant, mineral or an animal by-product.

An organic ingredient is by definition natural. The main distinction between natural and organic is that organic ingredients must pass more rigorous standards of purity. In order to be organic, an ingredient must have been derived without the use of synthetic pesticides, petroleum fertilizers or sewage sludge fertilizers, and it must not be a genetically modified organism. The term organic refers to how an ingredient was farmed, it must be prepared and grown without pesticides, chemical fertilisers, growth hormones or antibiotics.

Botanichem has chosen to focus on plant-derived ingredients in support of sustainable product, fair-trade and the global trend towards organic and safe products.