When it comes to natural and organic products, only the best of the best make it through our curation process (read more about it here) and onto our site (and faces!).
During our vetting process, we inevitably come across acronyms like ECOCERT or COSMEBIO. While they sound official and eco-friendly, we decided to dig deeper to get the whole picture.
Our results? We liked what we saw. Don’t worry - we’re happy to fill you in.
What or who is Ecocert? Ecocert is an inspection and certification organization, founded in France in 1991. It is based in Europe but conducts inspections in over 80 countries, making it one of the largest organic certification organizations in the world. Ecocert issues a document which certifies the compliance of products, systems or services with their high natural and organic standards. Both our aromatica and uka brands have products that are Ecocert certified.
What is EWG and Skin Deep? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is an American environmental organization that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of toxic chemicals, agricultural subsidies, public lands, and corporate accountability. Skin Deep is an arm of EWG that was formed in 2004 to create online safety profiles for cosmetics and personal care products. Their staff scientists compare the ingredients on personal care product labels and websites to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases.
What is COSMEBIO? COSMEBIO® is a Professional Association for natural, ecological and organic cosmetics. COSMEBIO federates the professional players in the industry and brings together over 400 members in France and abroad. Since 2002, COSMEBIO has been working to promote natural and ecological cosmetics made with ingredients from organic farming and developed using green technologies (green chemistry).
Now that you know who’s who in the certification world, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite brands and products for those of you that are looking for natural and organic Asian beauty products.
Aromatica takes “eco-friendly” to a whole other level. Not only are their products ECOCERT certified, but they are also the only Korean beauty brand to earn EWG’s Skin Deep Champion Status, which commends beauty brands that create toxin-free products. aromatica combs the world for only the best ingredients to source and the oils they use are always native to the country of origin. We knew there was a reason we loved their products so much.
Known for its expertise in herbal skincare, Be The Skin combines traditional herbal and botanical components with cutting edge technology to create powerful toners, serums and creams that we cannot get enough of. These natural ingredients are the key to achieving a healthy “lit from within” glow, which is always in style.
Korean beauty has been up and down and around the block. Caolion products draw from over 5,000 years of beauty know-how, and you can be sure they know that to get great results, less is more. They’re the first domestic Korean brand that was developed to be free of coloring, synthetic fragrances, alcohol, parabens, mineral oils and more. If you’re looking for gentle yet effective hypo-allergenic and non-comedogenic skincare, this is it.
Morihata has a simple philosophy of, well, being simple. This Japanese brand only uses ingredients that are all-natural and stripped down to the essentials. Simple yet effective ingredients like Binchotan charcoal makes their products perfect for cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing sensitive skin. It just goes to prove that a little goes a long way, right?
Peek into any chic Japanese woman’s tote, clutch, or purse and you’ll probably find one of Kiho Watanabe’s golden vials of Uka Nail Oil. These luxurious oils with their intoxicating scents are perfect for pampering yourself throughout your day, and each product is ECOCERT and COSMEBIO certified. You don’t need to be able to read every ingredient to know that your radiant skin is because of these top notch, natural products.
And, of course, we’ve tested and loved all these products. (We may or may not run around the office with face masks on).
