Is organic the best?

Is organic the best?

Walk into any beauty department or personal-care store and chances are you will find an ever-widening array of cosmetic products that claim to be "organic" or "natural".

But can you always trust labels that claim to be both?

Probably not, says Mr Amarjit Sahota, managing director of Organic Monitor, a London-based specialist research and consulting company which focuses on global sustainable product industries.

"Asian consumers don't really know what organic means. It is a sustainable form of farming. There is a lot of confusion," he says.

There is no single official definition of what makes a product organic, but generally, organic cosmetic ingredients are those that come from organic plants, while natural cosmetic ingredients are those obtained only from plants, animals and substances of microbiological or mineral origin.

Mr Sahota adds that in Asia, the absence of mainstream retailers of such products and a lack of large natural food shop chains lead to "a disorganised sector where there is strong competition for shelf space with pseudo-natural brands".

Small speciality retailers which carry a relatively sizeable range of reputable organic and natural beauty products in Singapore include SuperNature, Bud Cosmetics and Pure Tincture.

Mislabelling is one of the biggest problems.

Mr Sahota says: "In Asia, many brands put self-designated logos on their products. It could just be a conventional formulation with one organic ingredient and it will have a large organic logo on the label. Or, it could be that the product's name includes the word 'organic' in one form or another, but there is nothing organic inside the bottle.

"And there are also cases where brands use false logos and seals on their products. This greenwashing is more common in Asia than in other parts of the world."

Greenwashing is a term coined by environmentalists to describe products and services which claim to be environmentally friendly when they are not.

Mr Sahota estimates the global natural and organic cosmetics market to be worth US$11.7 billion (S$16.6 billion), with the United States and Germany being the largest markets. He was in town last month to give a presentation at the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association of Singapore's Annual Workshop on the natural and organic market in ASEAN.

The good news is the confusion over organic and natural cosmetics in the region may be solved by the middle of next year, says Dr Alain Khaiat, president of the association and vice-president of technical and scientific affairs at the ASEAN Cosmetic Association.

The International Standard Guidelines on Technical Definitions and Criteria for Natural and Organic Cosmetic Ingredients are in the final rounds of a six-year- long discussion involving representatives from countries such as Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand.

The guidelines will cover topics that include the definition of a natural or organic cosmetic ingredient and the amount of organic ingredients that a product should contain to be labelled as organic. This move will mean major changes for the industry.

According to Dr Khaiat, when the standards are published, they may be adopted by the ASEAN Cosmetic Committee as guidelines to control products that are imported into and exported out of ASEAN.

If and when the standards are adopted by local regulators, the standard guidelines will be used as a reference to check on claims made on a label. Companies can also use the guidelines to formulate their products so they can make the right claims on their labels.

RISING DEMAND

There are no official figures on the market for such organic beauty products in Singapore. But there are now more skincare labels - claiming to be natural or organic- based - on the shelves.

About five new brands have been launched every quarter in the last two years. Some of the latest ones include Botaneco Garden, Stenders and Bottega Verde.

The businesses of local organic and natural cosmetic speciality retailers are growing.

Mr Eric Chew opened his first Bud Cosmetics store, a 260 sq ft space at Novena Square 2 in 2008 with just three labels - British brand The Organic Pharmacy, Logona from Germany and American label 100 Per Cent Pure.

Today, he has two more stores - a 600 sq ft outlet at Mandarin Gallery and a 300 sq ft shop at Paya Lebar Square. Bud Cosmetics carries 16 brands - at least seven are exclusive - including South Korean label Isoi and Mukti Organics from Australia. It also offers organic and natural facial and body treatments at the Mandarin Gallery outlet.

In October, Pure Tincture launched its second store and beauty studio, a 500 sq ft space in Tras Street. It also operates a 600 sq ft space at The Adelphi. Pure Tincture started in 2005 with three organic brands (Sukipure and Osea from the United States and Santaverde Natural Cosmetics from Germany). It stocks 11 labels - at least five are exclusive - including London- based Pai and Martina Gebhardt from Germany, and offers 25 kinds of facials.

Even organic food grocer SuperNature at Forum The Shopping Mall, which opened in 2001 and is owned by luxury conglomerate Como Group, has an entire section devoted to personal care products.

It sells at least 12 organic and natural labels, such as American brands Rahua, Simply Organic Beauty, Nature's Gate and Coslys from France.

Ms Liza Rowan, an Irish nutritionist who has been based in Singapore for the past four years, says she no longer has to stock up on organic cosmetics whenever she or her husband travels to Europe.

"These days, I can get whatever I need here. It is a little more expensive than in Europe and the range is limited, but at least what I want is available in certain stores," says the 49-year-old.

GOING AU NATUREL

Mr Chew of Bud Cosmetics and Ms Helen Lien, founder of Pure Tincture, say Singaporeans make up more than 70 per cent of their customers. Their regular ones tend to be in their mid-20s onwards and are usually savvy about organic products.

They add that organic and natural beauty products these days are more competitively priced and have improved formulas.

Mr Chew points out that many organic concoctions are no longer rudimentary as customers have become more discerning and expect the organic products to perform as well as non-organic products from big beauty brands.

"In the past, an organic product was made of raw ingredients. One just has to whip it up and if it smells nice, it can be sold. Now, organic products are infused with botanical cosmeceuticals."

And while organic food is generally still at least 30 per cent more expensive than non-organic food (because eco certification is expensive, among other reasons), the prices of organic and natural cosmetics are now comparable to those made mainly with synthetic ingredients.

Mr Chew attributes this to economies of scale and the fact that premium skincare products are usually priced higher, regardless of whether they are natural or organic or neither.

Traditionally, life-changing events - such as pregnancy or serious illness - also lead consumers to switch to organic and natural cosmetic products because the products are believed to be better for one's well-being, notes Mr Chew.

When Ms Brenda Lim, who is in her early 40s, was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, she started on an organic beauty regime to complement her strict organic vegan diet.

"I wanted to stay as healthy as possible and avoid anything processed or artificial," says the lawyer.

Three years on and fully recovered, she no longer sticks to an organic vegan diet, but continues to use only organic skincare products from brands such as John Masters Organics and The Organic Pharmacy.

She says: "The products are much gentler and they make a big difference to my skin. It feels healthy inside out and has a radiant glow."

Many consumers also turn to organic and natural cosmetics to deal with their sensitive skin.

Ms Lien says: "Most of my customers have rosacea, eczema, thin skin, adult acne or contact dermatitis and they don't respond well to over- the-counter products and those from pharmacies."

However, adjunct associate professor Steven Thng, senior consultant and head of the pigment clinic at the National Skin Centre, says natural and organic skincare products are not always a fail-proof way to treat intolerant skin.

He says: "Generally, organic or natural skincare products are safer as they are deemed to have fewer toxic effects and reduce one's chance of developing an allergic reaction. However, that does not mean one will not develop allergic reactions to or be irritated by these products."

He adds that at the National Skin Centre, doctors do see patients developing allergic reactions to plants, plant saps and citrus fruit extracts in organic and natural formulas. "This is especially so if one is exposed to the sun after coming into contact with organic products because some allergies are not direct allergens but photo- allergens. Sunlight activates the allergies and without sunlight, they are not allergenic."

Products with synthetic chemicals in them are not always bad either, he says. "Despite higher incidences of allergic reactions, chemicals are usually more effective than organic ingredients as they are synthesized to achieve the effect desired. So there are always pros and cons when one chooses to use organic or natural products versus chemical-based ones," he adds.

gladysc@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on November 12, 2015.
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