Organic and natural products are all the rage these days. From food to skincare, the movement towards healthy living and holistic healing has been gaining strong momentum.
We are told that anything labelled organic is supposed to be better for us. After all, anything that costs more should be more superior, and most importantly, more effective. Right? But are certified organic skincare and makeup really worth the hype and higher price tags?
We researched and discovered four reasons why certified organic beauty products are more expensive – and why they’re worth it.
Superior quality and higher concentrations of active ingredients
Your typical non-organic off-the-shelf beauty product is usually filled with a ton of emulsifiers, preservatives, fragrance and other chemicals and additives to improve the texture of the product. This leaves very little room for the active ingredients that are the real source of nutrients for your skin. With certified organic skincare you get a higher concentration of these plant-based active ingredients, which means you are using a more potent product and therefore need to use less of the product to achieve superior results.
Source of ingredients
For certified organic beauty products, the plants from which the ingredients are made are grown in smaller farms using safer pesticides, and the farmers in such farms refrain from using chemicals to grow the plants. “Such ingredients are typically at least 1.5 to 2 times more expensive than non-organic ones,” says Risa Leong, Co-Founder of the Holistic Anti-Ageing Project.
Obtaining certification is costly
For natural skincare, makeup and hair care products to be certified, they must undergo a series of strict processes and protocols to ensure quality standards. Routine audits are conducted to verify that the product meets all the certification criteria. “This gives customers the assurance that they are investing in something that has been properly assessed and certified,” says Risa.
Packaging and printing is also more costly
The packaging and printing costs for certified natural beauty products are usually higher as the certification requires that the inks and plastics used for the printing and packaging of products are environmental-friendly. “It is imperative that the plastics are specially chosen and of a certain quality so that they do not leech chemicals into the final product,” Risa explains.
“At the end of the day, it’s about investing in your health as well as the health of our planet. Once that becomes a priority, we will be willing to pay a little extra for certified organic beauty products,” says Risa.