Founded in 2007, NATRUE is an international benchmark and certification for both natural and organic personal care products. The group’s online database today boasts 5,346 products certified as either natural, organic, or both.
The database is designed to be consumer friendly and is searchable by certification level, by brand, by product category, or by country of product availability.
Commenting on this year’s milestone achievements, Klara Ahlers, NATRUE president, says, “10 years of NATRUE and over 5,000 certified products – we are proud of what we have achieved over the last years in collaboration with our partners. Our goal is to continue raising awareness of natural skin care, and to protect and promote this internationally.”
Progression
NATRUE has seen the natural personal care and cosmetics segment grow with time: “Over the last eight years, the product diversity, and hence the choice for consumers, has increased sharply – from hair and men care products to decorative cosmetics for the face and nails,” according to the group’s press release.
The first certified product was a simple body oil, but certifications are now given in nearly 100 categories, from anti-wrinkle cream to deodorant and from hair dye to shower gel.
Illustrating the progress of naturals and the NATRUE certification, the group’s release notes that “in 2009, 400 products were certified, followed by another 600 in 2010.” And it goes on, observing that “just a few years ago, it was unthinkable to have a nail varnish in certified natural cosmetics quality, and yet today several NATRUE certified manufacturers have launched their own nail polish lines onto the market. Furthermore, NATRUE certified products now also include megatrends such as BB and CC creams, highlighters and products with natural actives.”
Digression
NATRUE has no plans to slow down or change course. Natural beauty is growing and the association sees “the potential for this trend to continue into the future.”
At the same time NATRUE is expressing concern with other international initiatives in this space. In the same press release which celebrates NATRUE’s 10 year anniversary and the certification of it’s 5,000 beauty product, the group emphasizes that “For NATRUE, any justified use of petrochemical and GMO ingredients for Natural and Organic cosmetics...may also undermine consumers’ trust in the industry in the future.” It’s a statement that refers to the ISO guidelines on natural and organic cosmetics, the second part of which is set to come out this year.
“We have so far seen from the first part [of the ISO guidelines] a notable weakening in the definitions of natural ingredients from the stronger definitions present in current private standards,” reads NATRUE’s press release.