Organic beauty: trust and labelling in focus

25-Apr-2017 - Last updated on 26-Apr-2017 at 11:06 GMT

Organic beauty hit the headlines in the UK this week, as the Soil Association released a report suggesting that consumers are being misled by current labelling on products.

The report finds that sales of organic health and beauty products grew more than 20% in 2016, with the market now worth about £61.2m in the UK.

It also found that ingredients not certified as organic – and even linked to health problems – can be found in a range of cosmetics apparently claiming to be all-natural.

Indeed, several bands - including The Organic Pharmacy and Dr Organic - were called up in the report for using the word on packaging for shampoos and sunscreens that contain ‘potentially harmful’ ingredients.

As part of its ‘Campaign for Clarity’, The Soil Association surveyed consumers on the report’s findings, and 69% said they felt misleading labelling should be against the law, while 72% of people say they would lose trust in a brand that made misleading claims about being organic.

Across the industry, claims about sustainability, efficacy and provenance are being met with rising consumer demand for transparency and trust, and the latest report from Soil Association suggests organic beauty is one key area where this is being seen.

MuLondon: a case study

One UK brand, MuLondon (products pictured), has made strides recently to meet consumer demand for clear product packaging and labelling when it comes to organics.

The company prides itself on is ethical profile, and recently adopted three distinct certification symbols for its products in a bid to emphasise this:

The Soil Association, the UK’s leading organic certifier
1% For The Planet: MuLondon pledges to donate at least 1% of total sales to environmental non-profits.
Certified B Corporation: MuLondon is the first UK skin care company to be certified, and joins the ranks of many high-profile corporations, who all use business as a force for good, with a triple bottom line: people, planet and profit.

The new symbols form part of a complete rebrand for the company and its product range’s packaging, with which the brand is keen to project its ethical, organic ethos more clearly.

“The aim was to develop a new visual perception of MuLondon, based on its organic origin, respect for nature and expertise,” the company says.

“The understated look has been carefully chosen to reflect the company values: clean, simple, modern and honest.”