The organic gylceryl strearate SE is marketed under the brand name Dermorganics GMS-SE and the company says it has the same specifications as the non-organic benchmark products in the market.
Both the source material and the production process is certified as compliant with natural and organic cosmetics standards, explained Fernando Ibarra, head of sales and technical marketing at Dr. Straetmans.
“Not only has the source of the material been certified as organic by Ecocert, but the whole production process is compliant with the natural and organics standards for cosmetic ingredients, not only Ecocert but also BDIH, Cosmos or Soil Association,” he told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.
Under the Dermorganics line the company also has glycerine from organic sources that is accepted by Ecocert.
Lack of organically-sourced chemically-modified ingredients
According to the Germany-headquartered cosmetics ingredients supplier, while there is an abundance of natural oils from organic farming, there is a lack of chemically modified cosmetic ingredients from organic feedstock.
Certification for natural and organic cosmetics in Europe is developing with the progression of the umbrella Cosmos standard as well as the emergence of standard holder NaTrue.
According to Dr Straetmans, these certifiers are promoting the use of organic materials even if they are then submitted to various chemical processes.
However, Ibarra explained that although the certification bodies are trying to promote the use of organically-sourced chemically-processed ingredients, they cannot always be included into the calculation of organic content of the final product.
“At the moment NaTrue, for example, does not allow chemically processed ingredients, even though they are organically sourced into the calculation of the organic content of the final product, whereas physically processed organic material can be,” he said.
For Dr Straetmans, until certifications are changed, its Dermorganics range is likely to appeal to producers who have their own philosophy regarding the use of organically sourced ingredients.
“There are many producers of natural/organic cosmetics who are waiting for the ingredients supplier to move into this direction…The success of these natural and organic products in the market shows that also consumers appreciate these efforts,” Ibarra said.
However, there is a price premium for such ingredients.
“As everybody can expect there is a price to pay for programmes protecting the environment and biodiversity, fair trade, organic certification and other things involved in organic sourcing. Organic ingredients generally are more expensive than conventional products; Dermorganics GMS SE unfortunately is not an exception.”