When it comes to understanding what exactly goes into your cosmetics products, it can sometimes be difficult to see the forest for the trees; cosmetic labels in the makeup & self-care industries can be confusing, to say the least. Deciphering the tiny, mysterious symbols mandated by EU Law can be challenging at best and cryptographic at worst, so we’d like to shed some light on the subject (mostly for our European readers).

Luckily, we can at least rely on the legislation set by the EU Cosmetic Regulations which came into effect in 2013, ensuring that label fraud is a thing of the past.

Beauty labels you can trust

Basically, there are three trustworthy labels that certify that the cosmetics contained within are (considerably) natural. Unfortunately, these labels do not ensure that the ingredients in the product are also 100% organic. It’s important to note that the terms ‘natural’ & ‘organic’ are not regulated – so within the EU, manufacturers can use them as they please.

That said, there is some method to the madness. These three companies have all agreed to comply with the following/respective standards —

BDIH

The Bundesverband Deutscher Industrie- und Handelsunternehmen für Arzneimittel, Reformwaren und Körperpflegemittel exercises control over only a few of the ingredients used in natural cosmetics:

The only definition specified for those ingredients is that the raw materials must be sourced from controlled biological cultivation. In addition, certified organic cultivation is only mandatory for 15 common commodities used in beauty products, including olives, jojoba & soy.

What the percentage of these ingredients in a product should be has not been set, meaning that it could be as low as 5%. The use of raw animal products is regulated as well, together with the use of certain preservatives. Some materials such as silicone and synthetic fragrances are banned from being included in cosmetics altogether.

NaTrue

The European Natural and Organic Cosmetics Interest Grouping from Brussels designed the NaTrue label to specify three levels of quality:

• Products with a one-star NaTrue label are simply called ‘natural cosmetics’.
• Products sporting two stars contain 70% organic ingredients.
• Products that get the three-star label can be called certified organic cosmetics, with 95% of the materials used being sourced from organic farming.

Ecocert

The French label Ecocert developed its own standard for natural & organic cosmetics with two levels of certification back in 2002:

Organic – for a product to be ‘certified organic’, 95% of the ingredients have to be plant-based, and 10% of the total ingredients must be sourced organically.
Natural – Cosmetics labeled using the term ‘natural’ have a different rule. At least 50% of the ingredients must be plant-based, and 5% percent of the ingredients must to be organically grown.

If you want to be completely sure of what you’re buying (even after decoding the cosmetic labels), we recommend using the CodeCheck app. With CodeCheck, you can simply scan the codes on the product you’re interested in and it will automatically evaluate how trustworthy its origins are.

What about those other cosmetic labels?

Not tested on animals:
The bunny symbol indicates that the product in question was not tested on animals. PETA publishes a list containing brands that do not test on animals on a regular basis.

Vegan:
The Vegan label says that neither animal products nor their derivatives were used in the production process. It does not, however, tell you anything about the quality of the raw materials used, or whether they were organically or sustainably grown. Only when combined with other labels, such as the NaTrue label, does it give some kind of indication of the product’s quality.

Shelf-life after opening:
The little jar with the floating lid above it is used to indicate the product’s shelf life, with the capital M standing for months. For instance, mascara shouldn’t be used if it is older than three months. The mascara doesn’t just dry out, but the brush and tube can become a popular hang out for all kinds of gross bacteria as well. Powdery products usually have a shelf life of about 24 months. However, those without particularly sensitive eyes can use these products for longer, and storing powders carefully can also prolong shelf life to some extent. When it comes to creams, more caution is needed, as they can go rancid, losing their effect and also possibly triggering allergic reactions.

Recycling:
The green dot is the Europe-wide indicator for recycled packaging. Another recycling label is the little image containing three green intertwined arrows, representing the recycling loop. If there is a percentage added, this points to the amount of reusable raw materials used in the packaging.

Estimated contents:
The e stands for estimated, and indicates the amount specified on a product label. For instance, “150ml e” means that the jar actually contains 150ml of the product.

There are many other labels, and we’ve only mentioned those used most frequently in Europe. However, these are the most important ones to keep track of if you want to ensure that the products you’re using are sourced as naturally, organically, & ethically as possible.