Fair trade cosmetics benefit producers especially when volumes are high

Cosmetics containing fair trade ingredients can really benefit producers, especially if commitments to volumes can be made, according to the Director of Innovation at Fair Trade USA.

The fair trade model was originally developed for commodity ingredients but is increasingly being used for products such as cosmetics, which contain both fair trade certified and non fair trade ingredients.

CosmeticsDesign.com USA met with Maya Spaull, from Fair Trade USA, at the recent HBA Global Expo who explained that even if the volume of the fair trade ingredient in the product is small, ‘every purchase matters.’

In addition, she said the range of fair trade certified ingredients available to cosmetic formulators is constantly expanding and even derivatives of natural ingredients are being investigated.