How to avoid confusion with cosmetic language

When it comes to choosing one cosmetic product or another, we pay special attention to the cosmetic language, its claims, i.e. its properties and what it promises to do for us. These claims can be found on the product packaging, in its catalog or on its website.

Having a clear definition of a word in context is key to understanding its meaning and appreciating its value. Sometimes this definition is not expressed correctly and leads to consumer confusion.

Today, we would like to give some examples to clarify some of the incorrect words that are most often repeated in cosmetic language. Be on the lookout so that you can buy your cosmetics with full knowledge of what their claims mean.

• The claim “chemical-free” is misused because everything is chemical. In most cases manufacturers mean “synthetic origin”.
• The claim “no toxic compounds” is also misused. A poison is a substance that is poisonous or causes injury due to a chemical effect. As Paracelsus rightly said “The dose makes the poison”, therefore, many substances (even water) can be toxic, it all depends on the dose in which they are used.
• Other claims that can be misleading are claims about animal testing; “not tested on animals” or “cruelty free“. Since 2013, it has been prohibited to introduce products on the market that, both the final product and the raw materials, have been tested on animals. In addition, both “free from” and “not tested on animals” claims are prohibited by the Cosmetic Claims Regulation. Therefore, adding this claim is confusing consumers with respect to the rest of the products that obviously comply with this regulation, although they do not claim it in their cosmetics.

Therefore, by adding this claim we are confusing consumers with respect to the rest of the products that obviously also comply with this regulation.

NATURAL, VEGAN, ORGANIC…

Now we come to other words that you see a lot on labels and although they may look the same, they are not and each of them carries a number of details. These are: natural, vegan, organic…

In order to differentiate between them, it is necessary to have a clear idea of what each one refers to.

• The natural claim is based on its origin and there are two types: natural or synthetic. Within the natural origin, it is divided into: vegetable, mineral or animal.
• The organic claim relates to the manner of obtaining the ingredients. In this case, we are talking about ingredients that come from organic farming where no pesticides are used.
• On the other hand, the vegan claim refers to the origin of the ingredients. It does not include ingredients of animal origin, but may contain natural vegetable, mineral and synthetic ingredients.

In short, it is important for laboratories to use cosmetic language well in our marketing strategies so as not to create misunderstandings in the consumer”.lost in translation”. We hope this post helps you to know exactly what we are buying and why and what makes sense as a claim and what does not.