In mid-January, I attended one of my favorite trade shows, Face & Body Midwest. After meeting the reps & owner of my newest skin care line, Nelly DeVuyst, I had the opportunity to take a product knowledge class.
What I learned about certifications & standards SHOCKED me. Check out the video to see what exactly I’m talking about…
I did share a LOT of great information with you, but I have tons more to share. This is why it’s so important that I blog about it.
Before I get into certifications in the US vs. Europe, I have to explain the different types of regulations.
Skin Care products categorized under the cosmeceutical certification means that it has the ability to CHANGE or ALTER the skin.
Over-The-Counter (OTC) products CANNOT be categorized as a cosmeceutical because they don’t have the delivery system available to penetrate beyond the Stratum Corneum (the skin’s top sub-layer of the Epidermis).
A Cosmeceutical product CAN penetrate beyond the Epidermis and alter the skin. These products are professional & physician-grade and can only be purchased through a licensed professional or physician, who understands skin.
This is important to remember as I go into the differences in regulations!
Let’s start with the US and how they regulate & certify skin care products.
When you buy an organic skin care product, you are buying something that the FDA passes through it’s system as a food-based product.
THERE ARE NO STANDARDS IN THE US FOR SKIN CARE PRODUCT REGULATION!
Some skin care companies say their products are either “all-natural” or “organic”
- Natural means that 95% comes from a “natural source” and 5% is organic.
- Organic means that 95% is organic & 5% is natural.
Either way, the FDA still looks at these ingredients & certifies them based on food-standard certifications and NOT cosmetic certifications.
Makeup is different, but that’s another blog post!
Now let’s look at the different European standards & how they certify skin care products.
In Europe, skin care products are regulated by the European Union (EU) and they have completely different regulations & standards for skin care.
As many of you know, there are thousands of ingredients banned in Europe, yet the US deems them as safe.
Most of you use the app EWG to get your information, but that website is owned by one of the big box skin care manufacturers, so the information you’re getting is inaccurate.
Scary huh?
Europe tests ALL skin care & makeup products and bans ingredients that have the potential to harm the skin OR the body.
Here’s where it gets even more intense…
If a company wants to manufacture organic skin care products, there are two different types of certifications: EcoCert and COSMOS certifications
COSMOS certification is the newest certification, created in 2017 and ONLY approved by 5 countries: United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France & Germany.
This testing requires a complete audit every 6 months.
EcoCert certification has been around since 1991 and also goes through an extensive audit every 6 months.
With both organic certifications, if ANY ingredient, product or process does not meet the standards, their organic certification is pulled and they have to fix the problem and re-apply.
Because it is such a lengthy process, these manufacturers do whatever they can to stay current, use the highest quality products and maintain best ethics for how they acquire their ingredients.
What can you do?
I’m not telling you all to buy all organic products from Europe, but what I am saying is that we really need to be aware of how the US regulates it’s skin care products and think twice when making product purchases.
This goes for hair, skin, makeup & nail products!
To be completely honest with you, this makes me want to toss out my current American skin care lines and switch to ALL European!
I am an American, born & raised. My grandpa raised me to buy everything American & support anything American-made. But with all the crap the FDA pulls, I’m not sure I want to anymore 🙁
I would love to hear your thoughts & comments too!
