In This Article
The difference between natural and organic skin care
Which organic bodies certify Green People products?

Which labels should you look for to be sure your skin care and beauty products are as natural and as organic as they can be?
Here we guide you through shopping for certified organic beauty products and explain why our organic certifications guarantee that your Green People products are as green as can be.
The difference between natural and organic skin care
In recent years there’s been a rise in the number of people preferring to use natural and organic skin care, beauty and grooming products, but what do natural and organic mean?
Organic skin care is different to natural skin care and here we explain why.
NATURAL
At Green People, we use the word “natural” to describe our products because they genuinely contain a very high percentage of natural ingredients. We also avoid harsh and potentially irritating chemicals such as SLS and artificial fragrances.
However skin care products can contain as little as 1% of natural ingredients in order to be called “natural” and there are no actual rules as to the naturalness of the ingredients used.
ORGANIC
Organic skin care is also made using plant-based ingredients but what makes it different to natural is that is supports the entire environmental concept of the preservation and growth of our natural world.
This includes avoiding exposure to chemical pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and growth suppressants during farming whilst actively supporting and improving soil health for future generations.
Because they are not exposed to artificial fertilisers, organic beauty ingredients typically have a rich mineral content and a high volume of skin nourishing vitamins and antioxidants.
By choosing to use organic skin care you are also opting to avoid synthetic ingredients and fragrances which have been linked to causing skin irritation and sensitivities.
There is also certification around organic beauty products which means that certain ingredients cannot be used in the formulations and there are high standards around the sourcing of ingredients, ensuring that they are grown with respect for the environment.
Which organic bodies certify Green People products?
Green People products are certified by:
- The Organic Food Federation
- The Soil Association
ORGANIC FOOD FEDERATION
The Organic Food Federation launched an organic standard for personal care products in 2002. The Organic Food Federation has strict standards and has two levels of certification.
Products containing over 95% organic ingredients can use the word organic in their title. If a product contains 70-95% agricultural ingredients from organic sources, products must state the percentage of organic ingredients they contain and display this percentage on the label.

THE SOIL ASSOCIATION
The Soil Association set the first organic beauty standards after the founder of Green People, Charlotte Vøhtz, approached them in 1994 and petitioned for the organic beauty industry to be standardised. Read more about this.
The Soil Association’s certification stipulates that a brand can only be certified organic if it provides evidence that a high proportion of its ingredients were organically farmed. For organic certification to be awarded the product cannot be tested on animals and should contain no harsh ingredients.

Our commitment to certified organic beauty
Certifying skin care products is a costly, timely exercise and is something we choose to do. It’s a real labour of love and to secure our certifications, our team must track the origin of every natural active and packaging material we use and prove that they are sustainably and ethically sourced.
We also have to provide evidence that none of products contain the synthetic raw materials that are prohibited by the organic certification bodies and demonstrate that we take steps to minimise the environmental impact of our manufacturing process.
We do all this because we want you to shop confidently with the knowledge that our organic beauty products contain a high percentage of authentically organic ingredients and are as eco-conscious as you are.
Shop our certified organic bestsellers
If you’d like to find out more about our organic beauty range, our UK customer care team can help you to tell who your purchases are certified by and can be contacted on 01403 740350.
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