The widespread usage of terms such as ‘microbiome-friendly’ are "inaccurately representing the complexity of the microbiome”, says the chief executive of a microbiome testing company.
Retailers are getting more involved in ethical standards and certifications, with many creating in-house schemes for beauty brands stocked in-store and online, and this trend will continue to rise in importance, says the founder of Ecovia Intelligence.
Interest in natural and organic cosmetics continues to rise amidst a wider green beauty boom, but with little regulation around these two terms, certification schemes have taken on fresh importance - for industry and consumers alike.
The UK’s organic beauty and wellbeing market has reported its 11th consecutive year of growth, largely driven by shifting consumer mindsets favouring environmentally friendly products, says British charity and certifying body the Soil Association.
The natural and organic cosmetics category will expand in pharmacies, beauty stores, salons, spas and e-commerce over the coming years, shifting outside of its traditional speciality retail setting, says Ecovia Intelligence.
Green beauty is evolving fast but there is so much more industry can do around transparency and communication on sustainability, especially backing up claims, says the CEO of sustainable communications software specialist Provenance.
This week, the Upcycled Food Association began enrollment for the Upcycled Certified program, giving consumer beauty brands the opportunity to highlight the use of waste-stream ingredients.
Special edition: Clean & Ethical – ‘Better for you, better for the planet’ beauty
The clean and ethical beauty movement has garnered plenty of traction in recent years, fuelled by a plethora of environmental, societal, business and consumer factors, and CosmeticsDesign-Europe has been tracking this movement closely for some time.
The investment community is finally backing businesses with strong sustainability agendas and aligning with environmentalists on what diverse and inclusive supply chains should look like, says the co-founder and CEO of certification firm Positive Luxury.
Naturalness is the most important aspect of a beauty product for consumers in Germany and France, but there are mixed views on what the term means and how it translates into cosmetics, finds natural and organic certifier Natrue.
In this episode, Yve-Car Momperousse of Kreyol Essence and Emma Dawes of the Soil Association talk about how important supply chains and certifications can be in the clean beauty movement. Scroll down to watch the video.
International certification programme MarinTrust wants to scale-up worldwide reach of its standard for responsibly sourced and produced marine ingredients and says interest from the cosmetics industry can play an important role in that.
Demand for certified cruelty-free cosmetics has soared in recent years, and with more than 200 Leaping Bunny applications in the process with Cruelty Free International this will only continue, says its head of certification services.
The beauty industry must push sustainability forward in a collaborative, transparent and open-source way to make any real, scalable change, says the co-founder of UK Indie Brand Beauty Kitchen.
![The widespread usage of terms such as ‘microbiome-friendly’ are “inaccurately representing the complexity of the microbiome”. [Getty Images]](https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-asia.com/headlines/formulation-science/microbiome-friendly-terms-at-risk-of-misleading-consumers-sequential-ceo/17596831-1-eng-GB/Microbiome-friendly-terms-at-risk-of-misleading-consumers-Sequential-CEO.jpg)
![A number of retailers have introduced ethical beauty schemes with in-house standards outlining ingredients allowed and disallowed, as well wider environmental requirements [Getty Images]](https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2022/12/07/beauty-retail-ethical-certification-standards-rising-fast-with-plant-based-halal-and-eco-important-says-ecovia-intelligence/16004465-1-eng-GB/Beauty-retail-ethical-certification-standards-rising-fast-with-plant-based-halal-and-eco-important-says-Ecovia-Intelligence.jpg)
![Industry must ensure microbiome claims are backed by sound science, particularly as the movement continued its rise with interest in categories like scalp care, ageing skin and baby care [Getty Images]](https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2022/05/24/microbiome-friendly-beauty-on-the-rise-but-data-must-be-validated-and-meaningful-says-mymicrobiome/15442174-1-eng-GB/Microbiome-friendly-beauty-on-the-rise-but-data-must-be-validated-and-meaningful-says-MyMicrobiome.jpg)
![Industry and consumers have a plethora of certifications and standards that can be used for natural and organic cosmetics [Getty Images]](https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2022/04/07/natural-and-organic-cosmetic-certifications-and-standards-for-eu-beauty-industry/15313432-5-eng-GB/Natural-and-organic-cosmetic-certifications-and-standards-for-EU-beauty-industry.jpg)
![Despite ongoing difficulties associated with COVID-19 and Brexit, the certified UK organic beauty and wellness market has continued to grow [Getty Images]](https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2022/03/10/uk-organic-beauty-and-wellness-surges-15-in-2021-with-2022-growth-predicted-says-soil-association/13309948-1-eng-GB/UK-organic-beauty-and-wellness-surges-15-in-2021-with-2022-growth-predicted-says-Soil-Association.jpg)
![In France - one of Europe's most important natural and organic cosmetic markets - strong growth has been seen for the category in pharmacies and parapharmacies [Getty Images]](https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2021/10/14/natural-and-organic-cosmetics-market-europe-to-grow-in-pharmacies-beauty-stores-and-online-says-ecovia-intelligence/12924773-1-eng-GB/Natural-and-organic-cosmetics-market-Europe-to-grow-in-pharmacies-beauty-stores-and-online-says-Ecovia-Intelligence.jpg)
![Branding is changing and beauty brands must follow the shift in mentality as consumers look for more transparency on every aspect of business, beyond labels [Getty Images]](https://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/news_teaser_medium/publications/cosmetics/cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/article/2021/08/26/green-beauty-needs-more-transparency-and-substantiation-of-claims-says-provenance-ceo/12768159-1-eng-GB/Green-beauty-needs-more-transparency-and-substantiation-of-claims-says-Provenance-CEO.jpg)
