According to the Association, some cosmetics manufacturers are making claims about products being 'organic' when they contain less than 1% of organic materials.
"For organic beauty, there is currently no legal guidelines or requirements. We are hoping that there will be one set by the administrative bodies by the end of this year,” spokesperson Emma Reinhold told the Voice of Russia.
Thus, the Association is striving to harmonise organic standards globally with certification for products containing 95% agro-ingredients and providing at least 20% of the entire product is organic.
According to Reinhold, the remaining ingredients must meet strict criteria to ensure that they are not damaging to health or the environment.
If a product uses between 70-95% organic agro-ingredients, it will be certified, though the Soil Association will not allow it claim to be 'organic'. In this case it can state that it is made with ‘xx % organic ingredients’.
Reinhold told the publication; “An organic product, in our mind, has to follow stringent manufacturing processes. It has to include a very high percentage of organic material and if you’re going around saying you have a tiny amount of rose oil or lavender oil – which may ben organic, but is only a tiny proportion of the whole product formula – then that’s very misleading.”
The rise of the organic segment
According to analysts Transparency Market Research, global demand for organic personal care products was over $7.6 (€5.8) billion in 2012 and is expected to reach $13.2 (€10.1) billion by 2018, growing at a CAGR of 9.6%.
The market has witnessed steady growth in recent years due to increasing a rise in consumer incomes, lifestyle changes and an increasing awareness and demand for organic personal care products.
In terms of organic personal care product consumption, the market researcher says Europe and Asia Pacific follow close behind North America in first place which accounted for 34.8% of global demand in 2011, driven by new product launches and widening distribution channels.
Skin care products dominated demand in the global organic personal care products market in 2011, with a 32.1% share, followed by hair care and cosmetics segments.
Brands said to be leading the way include the likes of Bare Escentuals, Aveda, Burt's Bee, Origins, Kiehls, and The Body Shop.