Vijaykumar R Zala, Assistant Formulation Development, Mikasa Cosmetics (Division of MESO Private Ltd) Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Now a day’s consumer awareness is increasing and due to social media and digital marketing everybody is aware about silicon free, paraben free, harsh chemical free products, so popularity of natural cosmetics are increasing gradually.
Natural Cosmetics
As far as cosmetic regulatory guideline is concern there is no clear FDA guideline for natural cosmetics but every country has their own standard for the natural cosmetics. In natural cosmetics includes Ayurvedic Cosmetics, Herbal Cosmetics, Ecocert Cosmetics, Organic Cosmetics.
Basically in consumer point of view, natural cosmetics means it is more safer others and it has more efficacy than non-natural cosmetics, chemicals are not safe for the human skin like paraben, petroleum, silicones perfumes and natural cosmetics are bio-degradable and recyclable but only it is bio degradable and recyclable, rest of all are not true.
There is no specific guideline for natural cosmetics, every country is using their own guideline like in India – Ayurvedic cosmetic which is regulated by AYUSH department, European countries have specific guideline for Natural and Organic cosmetics which is govern by COSMOS standard.
COSMOS standard is mainly to promote organic and non-hazardous manufacturing process.
USDA- US department of Agriculture and Council of Europe’s committee of expert on cosmetic products are monitoring and evolving the meaning of natural and organic cosmetics.
Ayurvedic Cosmetics
Many companies in India are selling the Ayurvedic cosmetic products are not 100% natural. In some Ayurvedic formulation contains synthetic base using emulsifier, emollient, preservatives along with the active ingredient which are used to in Ayurvedic cosmetic products are available from approved reference books by AYUSH regulatory department and it has the proven time tested study and it is also available in ancient Ayurvedic textbooks like Bhav Prakash Nighantu Charak Samhita, Ayurvedic pharmacopeia of India. Ayurveda is an Indian traditional system which is based on three elements (Thridosha) which is called Vata, Pitha and Dkapha.
In current market scenario some companies developed Ayurvedic products and branding their product with big image of Ayurvedic ingredients and some companies are using the word like 100% Ayurvedic activities so consumer think that the product is 100% natural but it is not true, base formulation of some Ayurvedic cosmetics are synthetic along with Ayurvedic activities.
Herbal Cosmetics
The herbal word is originated from mediaeval Latin liber herbalis (book of herbs). Herbal cosmetic means the cosmetic product which contains means the cosmetic product which contains the herbs into their product with the various cosmetic permissible ingredients in the base formulation and the herbs which provides defined cosmetic benefit called Herbal Cosmetics.
Generally herbs are made from plant extracts, roots, leaves , flowers seeds, stems, barks, fruit and used as per their properties in extract and oil forms in Herbal cosmetics.
Indian traditional knowledge about use of plant described in many Ayurvedic Books which has great help to identify the phytochemicals for skin and body care herbal cosmetic preparation, if someone is making the product with herbal ingredient, they have provide the safety and efficacy data for that particular herbs. Some herbal is also a part of Ayurveda. This is the difference between Ayurvedic and Herbal Cosmetic. The same rule apply here also like all herbal cosmetics are not 100% natural. Herbal cosmetic is a modern tend currently.
Herbal cosmetics are made up from the blend of base formulation which may contains a synthetics or natural emulsifier, emollients, thickener and contains one or more herbs. Herbs contains phytochemical constituent which serve as cosmetics for care of the body and its parts and it’s also influence biological function of skin and provide nutrients for skin and hair. Like it contains vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants carbohydrate, proteins and bioactive molecules.
Herbal cosmetics are not covered under FDA like cosmetics, they are subjected to their efficacy and safety and it is not mandatory to claim its bioactive ingredients efficacy that how it penetrate to the skin. There is no concept of Herbal and Ayurvedic concept in outside of India, other countries considering as a cosmetic products or as a drug.
Natural & Organic Cosmetics
COSMOS-standard is stands for Cosmetics Organic Standard and it has been developed by five European and international organisations, BDIH-Germany, COSMEBIO-France, ECOCERT Green life SAS-France, ICEA-Italy and SOIL Association-UK members who had designed the definition and common requirement for natural and organic cosmetics and they are responsible for setting natural and organic cosmetic standard which are an international non-profit association registered in Belgium.
Basically these guidelines are based on promoting the use of biodiversity and organic agriculture, using natural resources responsibility and respecting the environment and using processing and manufacturing that are clean and respectful of environment and human health, developing the concept of ‘Green chemistry’ and its integrating.
As per these standards all the ingredients which are used into the formulation must be certified, process to make that ingredients as well as formulation must be certified and formulation of the products also must be certified from the COSMOS agencies so that traceability of ingredient, process and formulation are controlled.
In this standard, sets a five categories of in primary raw material and organic solvent is calculated as 100% organic which must be mentioned on the raw material certificate which supplier needs to take from COSMOS and for chemically processed argo-ingredientis required to calculate as per the raw material COSMOS certificate for the final product formulation.
Composition of the formulation is categories in two levels like cosmetic product under organic certification and cosmetic product under natural certification. Minimum 20% of the total ingredients of formulation must be organic. For rinse off product 10% of the total ingredients of the formulation must be organic and minimum 80% ingredients must be minerals or mineral origin. Therre is no requirement to use minimum level of organic ingredients.
Some preservatives are accepted in Ecocert like Benzoic acid and its salts, Benzyk Alcohol, Dehydroacetic acid and its salts, Salicylic acid and its salts, Sorbic acid and its salts.
Certification of COSMOS and Natural cosmetics defined criteria are source origin and processing of all the ingredients, composition of all ingredient storage of ingredients, manufacturing of ingredients, packaging of ingredients, labeling and communication, inspection, certification and control. The users of this all the standard are farmers, manufacturer and brand owner of organic and natural cosmetic products and ingredients.
COSMOS-standard, COSMOS Technical Guide which contains additional interpretation and explanation, COSMOS Labelling Guide, COSMOS Control Manuel – Certification and Accreditation Requirements. The entire standard is available on COSMOS and this standard of the property COSMOS-standard AISBL and shall not be copied, reproduced or otherwise used except with its express written permission.
After knowing all the natural cosmetic categories it is also true that some non-natural cosmetics are better than natural cosmetics in term of efficacy and safety and vies a versa. And it is also true that natural product has less impact on our environment. Each and every ingredients and products have their own positive and negative so based on the requirement of market needs to create a new products.
For more details contact : vijayzala@meso-in.com