Cosmetic claims

What are cosmetic claims?
There are many claims for cosmetic products one should know various types of claims; they are ingredient claim, product claim, & packaging claim. Cosmetic claims are relative claims such as Glowing skin.

The following resources answer some common questions about claims and cosmetic labeling:

Alcohol-Free
Some consumers select "alcohol-free" products because they believe ethyl alcohol dries out their skin or hair.

For many years cosmetic manufacturers have marketed certain cosmetic products that do not contain ethyl alcohol (also known as ethanol, or grain alcohol) as "alcohol-free." However, "alcohols" are a large and diverse family of chemicals, with different names and a variety of effects on the skin. This can lead to some confusion among consumers when they check the ingredient listings on cosmetic labels to determine alcohol content.

In cosmetic labeling, the term "alcohol," used by itself, refers to ethyl alcohol. Cosmetic products, including those labeled "alcohol-free," may contain other alcohols, such as cetyl, stearyl, Cetearyl, or lanolin alcohol. These are known as fatty alcohols, and their effects on the skin are quite different from those of ethyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol, which some consumers may think of as drying the skin, is rarely used in cosmetics.

To prevent the ethyl alcohol in a cosmetic from being diverted illegally for use as an alcoholic beverage, it may be "denatured." This means that it contains an added "denaturant" that makes it undrinkable.

Denatured ethyl alcohol may appear in the ingredient listing under several different names. You may see the abbreviation SD Alcohol (which stands for "specially denatured alcohol"), followed by a number or a number-letter combination that indicates how the alcohol was denatured. Among the specially denatured alcohols acceptable for use in various cosmetics are SD Alcohol 23-A, SD Alcohol 40, and SD Alcohol 40-B.

Cosmeceutical
Consumers and manufacturers sometimes have questions about the term "cosmeceutical."

The term "cosmeceutical" has no meaning under the law. The cosmetic industry uses this word to refer to cosmetic products that have medicinal or drug-like benefits.

A product can be a drug, cosmetic, or both. The FD&C Act defines drugs as those products that cure, treat, mitigate or prevent disease or that affect the structure or function of the human body, if a product makes such claims it will be regulated as a drug. Cosmetics are intended to beautify, promote attractiveness, alter the appearance or cleanse; they are not approved by FDA for sale nor are they intended to affect the structure or function of the body. 

Cruelty-free/Not tested on Animals
Consumers sometimes ask about the use of claims such as "Cruelty-Free" or "Not Tested on Animals" on cosmetic labeling.

Some cosmetic companies promote their products with claims of this kind in their labeling or advertising. The unrestricted use of these phrases by cosmetic companies is possible because there are no legal definitions for these terms.

Some companies may apply such claims solely to their finished cosmetic products. However, these companies may rely on raw material suppliers or contract laboratories to perform any animal testing necessary to substantiate product or ingredient safety. Other cosmetic companies may rely on combinations of scientific literature, non-animal testing, raw material safety testing, or controlled human-use testing to substantiate their product safety.

Many raw materials, used in cosmetics, were tested on animals years ago when they were first introduced. A cosmetic manufacturer might only use those raw materials and base their "cruelty-free" claims on the fact that the materials or products are not "currently" tested on animals.

Hypoallergenic 
Hypoallergenic cosmetics are products that manufacturers claim produce fewer allergic reactions than other cosmetic products. Consumers with hypersensitive skin, and even those with "normal" skin, may be led to believe that these products will be gentler to their skin than non-hypoallergenic cosmetics.

Organic Cosmetics
Organic cosmetics are certified based on the ingredients originating from organic farming. 

An organic cosmetic is a natural cosmetic, that also must contain a certain percentage of ingredients originating from organic farming. In this case, at least 95% of ingredients capable of being organic must be.

To recognize an organic cosmetic, just look for the green oval Cosmébio label. Sometimes this label is followed by the COSMOS ORGANIC signature.

What's the difference between organic cosmetics and conventional cosmetics?
The difference between an organic cosmetic and a classic cosmetic lays largely within their composition. When making general comparisons, the two may seem similar. It’s upon further inspection of their ingredients that we see the two are very different. Here are some examples to help illustrate more clearly their differences:

• In the aqueous phase, conventional cosmetics use simple water. However, an organic cosmetic will more often use hydrosols (flower water) to give added benefits to the final product.
• Fragrances added to conventional cosmetics is often artificial, whereas organic cosmetics use natural fragrances (essential oils etc)
• With conventional cosmetics, the allowed ingredients are controlled by the European Standard. In this standard, there are controversial ingredients included but organic cosmetics formulate their products taking into consideration black listed ingredients.
• Furthermore, conventional cosmetics aren’t always concerned with their environmental impact. They tend to use manufacturing methods that are highly pollutant and not very considerate of the people employed for their fabrication.

Natural Cosmetics
A natural cosmetic is a cosmetic that contains at least 95% natural ingredients. Not only does the label require that this percentage be met, but there are also restrictions put in place for what is allowed to compose the last 5%. Numerous ingredients such as silicones and PEGs are prohibited.

With the current climate of greenwashing, it’s not always easy to recognize what products are truly natural. We see quite often certain cosmetics claiming to have more than 95% natural ingredients, yet they still contain silicones, BHT, phenoxyethanol…ingredients that the consumer no longer wishes to see in their cosmetics!

To be certain about what you’re buying, we recommend looking for the COSMOS NATURAL label. This label guarantees that the cosmetic has been analyzed and it conforms to the previous definition. Furthermore, you can check the back of your cosmetic packaging and see the percentage of ingredients with natural origins included in the product.

References;
1. Cruelty-Free Testing - FDA

2. Natural Vs Organic Cosmetics