Today’s skincare connoisseurs take pride in their discerning taste. Gone are the days when people settled for skincare that was available at the local supermarket. With an increasingly intense focus on awareness and the growing boom in the wellness and beauty industry, organic ingredients are finally getting the recognition they merit.
Everyone appreciates the fact that skincare made with natural, organic ingredients is healthier for your skin, especially since organic and vegan skincare contain increased percentages of active ingredients as compared to standard beauty products.
However, it isn’t always easy to distinguish between a cleverly marketed faker from a genuine brand of organic skincare.
To add to this, the current industry is saturated with products that claim to be organic, green, and vegan. Unfortunately, a product can be labelled organic, even if it contains a single natural ingredient in minimal percentages. The New York Times even did an article on how many skincare products out there aren’t actually organic, even if they are promoted as being all-natural.
So how does one eliminate the companies that are more interested in their profit margins, rather than producing genuine organic skincare products that will transform your skin?
With more than a decade of hands-on experience, we’re here to do a deep dive into the niche of sustainable skincare and give you a few hints on how to ensure that you get the real deal!
How Do You Know When A Product Is Really Organic?
Take a good look at the label on the back of the product. If the list has chemical names or fillers and perfumes, it certainly isn’t organic.
A quick tip is to look for ingredients that are familiar and that sound like something you would eat as part of your diet! You wouldn’t go eating parabens or complex sodium compounds, so why should you put that on your skin?
For instance, take the ingredients list on the Christian Acuña Detox Face Mask. The majority of the list is food that you probably recognise, including Aloe Leaf Juice, Papaya or Paw Paw, Macadamia and Coconut Oils, amongst other natural components.
What makes up the best organic skincare, you ask? Natural, sustainable ingredients sourced from certified organic farmers.
Australia’s organic skincare movement is currently thriving, and skincare products made of pure, natural ingredients, are experiencing massive growth. This is simply because Australians have come to realise that their native backyard has so many fantastic ingredients that it is completely unnecessary to turn to foreign shores for inspiration.
As a result, more brands are sourcing their produce from local Australian farmers, thereby stimulating the economy in multiple ways.
What Does It Mean to Have An Organic Skincare Brand?
Take a moment to read through the brand’s story.
What inspires them to make their organic skincare products, who are the founders of the brand, how long have they been doing this?
Answers to these questions are vital because they point you in the right direction.
Skincare is part of an industry that is incredibly marketing driven. It would be wise to look for transparency as part of the brand’s core mission. Do not get misled by a glamorous ad campaign or flamboyant packaging that promises you “instant results” but cannot back it up with actual data-driven evidence.
Many brands have simply jumped onto the bandwagon to be able to sell their “organic” products at a higher price point. If you’re splurging on a product, you should be certain that you are indeed getting what you are paying for.
Most of Christian Acuña Organics' ingredients are sourced from aboriginal self-sustained eco-farms, that supply us with premium, certified organic produce. Christian Acuña Skincare is manufactured under strict regulation by ACO (Australian Certified Organic), OFC (Organic Food Chain), COSMOS (Cosmetics Organic and Natural Standard). Suppliers go through a strict audit to ensure they supply vegan derived ingredients. All our products comply with CCF standards.
At Christian Acuña, we are proud to vouch for every product we make, because to us, “organic” and “ethically cultivated” aren’t just terms to be bandied about on social media. Our founder is someone who has put more than a decade into creating our range of skincare. He is passionate about making a difference, both to the skin of his clients, as well as to the local economy of Australian farmers.
Where Are the Ingredients Of Organic Skincare Sourced From?
One of the biggest giveaways in recognising genuine organic skincare is establishing where the ingredients are sourced from. The source is as important as the ingredient itself because both contribute equally to the effectiveness of the product. Pesticides used in cultivation have been found to leach into the soil and the crop itself.
Here at Christian Acuña, each of our ingredients come from certified organic agricultural sources. The majority of ingredients used in Christian Acuña products are sourced from Australian Aboriginal farmers based in the Northern Territory and Victoria.
Knowing our sources essentially means that we can keep strict control over how our ingredients interact with each other. We can also be satisfied that our ethically produced, sustainable ingredients contain no traces of pesticides or harmful synthetic compounds.
In the interest of transparency, Christian Acuña also has a list of ingredients on its website and lists each product that contains the ingredient. Find that list here.
In fact, the Christian Acuña ingredient selection process doesn’t just stop there. Every batch of raw materials that we receive goes through a stringent internal audit, to ensure that the ingredients we use are active, viable and used in concentrations that are results-driven as opposed to label claims.
We strongly believe that it is this rigorous pattern of constant assessment and improvement that allows us to create our remarkable range of products.
Are There Added Perfumes in Organic Skincare?
Most certified organic skincare products do not contain added fragrances and usually allow the natural perfume of the ingredients to come through.
It is imperative to refrain from using products that have fragrance or perfume listed as one of their ingredients, no matter how organic or natural it is promoted to be.
No two harvests of a natural ingredient will be identical. Because of this, you may experience a slight difference in texture or aroma in different batches of the same product. This is a common characteristic of genuine organic skincare products.
Christian Acuña products use Australian organic essential oils that emit a light and natural fragrance to our skincare range. One of our core philosophies is to allow ingredients to shine through in their natural state. Because we never use synthetic compounds, we do not need to add additional fragrances to mask the chemical smell.
What is the Best-By Date of Organic Skincare?
Genuine organic skincare does not include artificial preservatives or additives. Due to this, their shelf life might be slightly lower than skincare products that use synthetic or man-made preserving ingredients.
Look for products that use natural preservative systems. These will typically include plant-based alcohols and extracts that protect the product from excessive degradation.
The entire range of Christian Acuña products is free from any sort of preservatives that are not sourced from plants. The products are completely vegan and also cruelty-free since our founder is passionate about animal rights himself.
Our preservation structure follows a two-step method. One, we prevent early deterioration of products by packing them in biophotonic glass jars and bottles that block out harmful light, only allowing UV light to enter.
The second step is to use plant-based preservatives such as natural Phenethyl Alcohol and Glyceryl Caprylate. These preservatives also have anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties that allow them to keep fungi and other micro-organisms at bay.
What is The Packaging of Organic Skincare Made Of?
This may sound unexpected, but a quick way to gauge how “real” an “organic” product is, is to look at its packaging.
Generally speaking, most organic skincare brand founders get into the beauty industry not to make money, but to make a difference!
Following that chain of thought, it is easy to see how they don’t just rest at producing natural skincare products. Most authentic organic skincare brands always go the extra mile and pack their products in environmentally conscious packaging material.
At Christian Acuña, we have eliminated plastic and use custom-made opaque glass jars and bottles. Unlike plastic, since there is no seeping of harmful chemicals, glass never affects the composition of the product it carries. This not only helps protect the potency of the product but also helps us do our bit for the planet, with glass being able to be recycled and reused multiple times.
Christian Acuña’s labels are made from acid-free recycled papers and we use a vegan organic glue to fix them to the bottle. Our commitment to the cause is indisputable and is something we are immensely proud of.
Well, there you have it… We hope this article helps you understand and recognise genuine organic skincare. At Christian Acuña, our core mission is to produce products that bring to you the best Australian certified organic ingredients coupled with scientific, evidence-based techniques of production.
This is why each of our products come so highly recommended by all our clients. Don’t just take our word for it, browse the entire Christian Acuña range here and begin your journey into transformative organic skincare!