Everything that exists is made of elements, atoms and chemical molecules. Everything in nature that has not been manipulated by man is made of chemical substances. So what distinguishes a natural product from a non-natural product? What are the rules that define what can be defined as being “of natural origin”? Who decides?
In the cosmetic sector, natural products are not defined by legislation.
In other words, there is currently no law that distinguishes natural products from other categories of cosmetics. How is it possible therefore to protect oneself from all those brands and products that claim they are natural, organic, etc, but in actual fact are not? The market is like a thick forest where the self-proclaimed green parameters of brands are alternated with rules dictated by private certification companies who brands contact just to have a stamp.
It seems impossible to find a solution. But in the thick of the forest, there is a clearing, and today there is finally some kind of reference: positive corporate efforts led to the publication of ISO 16128 in 2017, the first (and for the time being, the only) worldwide guideline created by the International Organization for Standardization with the objective of harmonizing the cosmetic market with the concept of natural and to safeguard final consumers.
Natural ingredients and naturally-derived ingredients: a harmonised definition.
ISO 16128 defines the perimeter of “natural” with a criterion based on two pillars: that of quantification, with the calculation of a numerical index for each ingredient, and that of applicability to all cosmetic ingredients, thus clearing the field from the lists of alleged “good” and “bad” ingredients.
It assigns a value between 0 (not natural) and 1 (natural) to each ingredient, with some middle ground for those of derivation. Natural ingredients are those obtained from plants, animals, microorganisms or minerals by physical processes, fermentation, or other processes that do not involve an intentional chemical modification of the raw material. The “naturally-derived” ingredients are those which retain more than 50% of the initial natural molecular structure after the transformation processes.
What does “naturally-derived ingredients” mean?
The content of natural and naturally-derived ingredients declared for some of our products such as those of the milk_shake® my skin line is expressed by a percentage value followed by the words “naturally-derived ingredients”, calculated using the ISO 16128 method, and including water.
In the claim for the natural content of these formulas, we wanted be aligned with ISO 16128 because it affirms the values of measurability and objectivity in the same area in which, unfortunately, ambiguity and emotion still reign. This choice allows us to offer clear and transparent information, based on internationally recognized definitions, to give our customers the opportunity to compare our products with others on the market (or at least with those who have followed this path) and to therefore make the choices they feel are right for their lifestyle.
How are ingredients for z.one conceptTM formulas chosen?
When we decide which ingredients should be combined to create our products, we prioritise plant-based raw materials, of organic and natural origin, which are been carefully selected and controlled.
The triumph of colours, fragrances and properties of nature are within our products in the form of plant extracts and oils, as well as fruit juices, essential oils and food powders, which contain all the energy and vitality of the plant and give the scalp and hair precise substances with different functions: for example, they can protect from oxidative damage from aggressive treatments and factors, they can support hydration, or restructure the keratin of the hair to give empty hair fibres more body and improve the appearance and manageability of hair. Plant elements are integrated harmoniously with minerals, substances such as milk proteins and honey, and ingredients obtained from biotechnologies such as hyaluronic acid and hyper-fermented daisy extract, to obtain formulas capable of satisfying particular needs whilst respecting the scalp and hair, being pleasant and easy to apply.
Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to obtain the desired cosmetic benefits with the use of only natural ingredients and of natural origin, and this is where the choice of synthetic substances comes into play, carefully selected from the most innovative and safe ingredients available. The main ingredients of synthetic origin used are preservatives to protect the products from microbial contamination, as well as polymers and emulsifiers to stabilize the formulas, fragrances to ensure a pleasant fragrance, and specific ingredients such as emollients, polymers and colourants to achieve ideal sensorial features and professional performance.
Our search for natural materials and innovative functional substances is always active.
We are constantly working to balance and optimize formulations, while striving to eliminate, reduce and replace the most discussed and controversial substances, to meet the evolving needs in the professional and beauty salon industry.
Whether they are natural or synthetic, we take care in choosing ingredients that meet our safety standards to achieve high performance, professional quality and optimal conditions for storage and stability.
IN SUMMARY:
• we support the values of measurability and objectivity to protect those who choose us and our products;
• we have aligned ourselves with ISO 16128 to declare the % of natural ingredients of our selected formulas;
• Optimal results are guaranteed by balancing ingredients of natural origin with innovative and safe synthetic ingredients.
