Did you know the difference between natural, vegan, organic and cruelty-free?

In recent years, trends in cosmetics and other areas have been oriented towards the natural, so it is increasingly common to find cosmetic products that claim to be natural, vegan, eco-friendly or cruelty free, but is it the same? The reality is that they are not the same. The multitude of terms found can lead to confusion and often make us not know which product to choose. Therefore, we will try to explain the differences and clarify your doubts, to make it easier to differentiate from among what you are searching for:

Natural

A cosmetic can be considered natural when it contains at least 95% of ingredients extracted from nature. These ingredients are of vegetable origin (essential oils, flowers, fruits), mineral origin (water, sea salt, clay…) or animal origin (beeswax, royal jelly, milk).

Vegan

This term refers to all cosmetics that use only ingredients of vegetable or mineral origin, excluding those from animals or their derived products such as milk, honey, beeswax, dyes made from animal products.

Ecological

Organic cosmetics are those that must meet more demanding requirements, both in terms of ingredients, manufacturing process, packaging (biodegradable or recyclable), and respect for the environment. They follow production processes that are more environmentally friendly.

Cruelty-free

Finally, we find a more known term “Cruelty-free”, which means that the products have not been tested on animals for approval and distribution. We follow other methods that advocate a more sustainable behavior, and that are aimed at the preservation of the species on earth, not only as a matter of ethics, but also for the love of animals.