Natural and Organic Cosmetics

FDA doesn’t have regulation regarding “Natural” and “Organic”.

“Natural” is term is used by cosmetic companies as there is no legal protection. However, FDA can cease distribution or recall misbranded cosmetic products.

Per Natural Cosmetics Act, cosmetics labeled as “natural” :

• must have at least 70 percent 'natural substances' (excluding water and salt)
• other than natural substances and water, contains only 'naturally-derived ingredients'
• have no synthetic fragrance ingredient

'Natural substances' as any chemical substance that is naturally occurring :

• chemically unprocessed
• processed only by manual, mechanical, naturally derived solvent or gravitational means, by dissolution in water or steam, by flotation, or by heating solely to remove water
• extracted from air by any means.

'Naturally-derived ingredients' are:

• any substance where the starting material is of mineral, plant, microbe, or animal origin but has been chemically processed and combined with other ingredients, excluding petroleum and fossil fuel-derived ingredients
• an ingredient that is derived from a plant feedstock and bio-manufactured using processes like fermentation, saponification, condensation, or esterification in order to improve performance or make the ingredient biodegradable or sustainable

“Organic” is regulated by The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the National Organic Program (NOP).

"Organic Cosmetics" must include official organic certification seal.

“USDA Organic” certificate:
Must contain at least 95 % of a product’s ingredients are organically produced and they must comply with handling and manufacturing specifications (excluding water and salt). The use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) is prohibited.

“NSF contains organic ingredients” certificate:
Must contain at least 70 % organic content of a product’s ingredients (excluding water and salt). No GMO, no petrochemicals. Certified by third-party certifiers such as Oregon Tilth and QAI, an organic certification company that is part of NSF International.

References
1. Natural Cosmetics Act, H.R.5017
2. Cosmetics, Body Care, and Personal Care Products, USDA National Organic Program
3. NSF/ANSI 305: Organic Personal Care Products, National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) International