Choosing Natural Skincare: Important Differences Between Natural, Organic, and Synthetic-Free Skincare Products

Choosing natural skincare is a transition for some people, one that is not easily made without a solid understanding of products available on the market, and the categories used to describe them. We spend a lot of time sharing posts about key features of our products. They are 100% Natural, Organic, Non-GMO, Cruelty-Free, and Plant-Based / Synthetic-Free Brand among others.

You may be asking yourself, what does this even mean even if you are an experienced and well-versed consumer. These keywords may just blend in with the slew of marketing terms companies throw at consumers. 

Education is power, so let’s talk a little about what it means when we say we are a Natural, Organic, and Plant-Based / Synthetic-Free Brand! (*Consider this a crash course in how to fine-tune your natural skincare routine to the best natural skincare there is).

What makes a skincare product natural? 

Natural as a label means that ingredients come from resources that are not man-made and occur in… well, nature of course. The term “natural” is not officially regulated by the government, so we recommend that everyone learn how to read an ingredient list. Did you know that ingredients are listed from highest percentage to lowest? That means, when reading the labels, you should try to pick a product where synthetic ingredients are mainly at the bottom of the list if included at all. (All ingredients in our products are 100% natural, with no synthetics. ) 

Confused? Here’s a good resource: Skin Deep Database.

If you are looking for references, check out the EWG database linked above. This is a fantastic database that shows the safety of any ingredient and even has many mainstream products stored by name and brand. Don’t know one of the ingredients on a product? Pop it into this link and find out safety ratings and any potential risk usage can carry. 

What is Organic Skincare? 

When Skincare is labeled as organic it means that ingredients are farmed without chemical pesticides or fertilizers. This category is officially regulated by the FDA. Products only need to contain a certain percentage of organic matter to declare “made with organic ingredients” on its label. (This amount varies from state to state.) Spotting a USDA Organic seal is ideal since that means the product contains at least 95% organic ingredients. Please note that having a USDA seal costs money, a lot. So many small businesses may not yet have reached this threshold to gain a “seal” while all their ingredients still come from verified organic sources. (We make sure that we exceed that threshold in every product we make!)

OK, that makes sense now. Then what does it mean to be Synthetic-Free?

“Synthetic-free” products contain no man-made ingredients—this means it is 100% of it is made of naturally occurring elements or compounds. Here is an example: a naturally derived ingredient, such as hyaluronic acid, which is originally sourced from animals is copied and molecularly replicated to the same effect within a lab.

What is Plant-Based Skincare? What are Plant-Based Products?

The term “plant-based” might be a little more flexible but generally indicates that the product is made with botanical ingredients. An example of plant-based would be mango butter, olive oil, avocado oil, shea butter, essential oils, etc.

Both Synthetic-Free and Plant-Based are terms that are unregulated. They do not necessarily include or exclude one another. (Basic Naturals’ products do not contain ANY Synthetic Ingredients and are mostly Plant-Based.) Beeswax is the only ingredient we use that is not Plant-Based and for this reason, we are not a fully Vegan brand. However many of our products are Vegan! AND ALL of our Basic Naturals skincare products are Alcohol-Free!

Here you can find some of our VEGAN and Alcohol-Free Basic Naturals Skincare products:

Vegan and 100% Natural Body Butter by Basic Naturals

For our full collection of Vegan Products, click here to Shop Now!

Try also: Healthy Face Anti-aging Moisturizer and Serum, and Clean Face Oil Cleanser! All products are alcohol-free!

And… Basic Naturals products are always cruelty-free, natural, organic, alcohol-free, and synthetic-free!!

Don’t fret—you’ll begin to recognize these terms and ingredients with practice.  Read the list when you are looking to buy natural skincare brands, it will help you and our planet!

Organic – means that ingredients are farmed without chemical pesticides or fertilizers (it is a category that is regulated by the FDA). A product only has to contain a certain percentage of organic matter to declare “made with organic ingredients” on its label. (This amount varies from state to state.) Spotting a USDA Organic seal is ideal since that means the product contains at least 95% organic ingredients. But please note that having a USDA seal costs money, a lot. So many small businesses may not yet have reached this threshold to gain a “seal” while all their ingredients still come from verified organic sources. (We make sure that we exceed that threshold!)

Plant-Based or Synthetic-Free – Theoretically, a product labeled as “synthetic-free” contains no man-made ingredients to—this means it is 100% made of naturally occurring elements or compounds. The term “plant-based” might be a little more flexible but generally indicates that the product is made with botanical ingredients. Both terms are unregulated. They do not necessarily include or exclude one another. (Basic Naturals products do not contain ANY Synthetic Ingredients and are mostly Plant-Based. Beeswax is the only reason our products are not 100 % Plant-Based and also the only reason we are not 100% Vegan. However many of our products are Vegan! They are always cruelty-free.)