Organic is the new way of living. From the food we eat to the clothes we wear to the products we apply to our body, everything is available in organic forms now. Read on to find out if organic beauty products are worth the high price tag and why.
Organic Beauty Products
The term ‘organic’ refers to anything that is grown, produced, or manufactured keeping in accordance with organic practices. Generally, organic products are made with the least amount of artificial chemicals used. Organic beauty products are made from organic ingredients that are grown organically and sourced sustainably, are turned into beauty products with minimum processing and keeping up with the organic standards, and packaged and stored in containers that don’t contaminate them.
Organic beauty products are much more nourishing for the skin than their conventional counterparts. Even if they weren’t, the fact that they don’t expose the skin to harmful chemicals is enough of a reason to choose natural and organic beauty products over non-organic ones. However, for all their many benefits, organic beauty products are often accompanied by a hefty price tag. This high price makes them inaccessible for many people. But there’s a good reason for it…
Why Organic Beauty Products Are More Expensive
1. Slow Growth of Organic Raw Ingredients
2. More Effort Required to Grow Organic Ingredients
3. High Growth Cost of Organic Ingredients
4. Less Supply, More Demand of Organic Ingredients
5. Small Scale Manufacturing of Organic Products
6. Shorter Shelf Life of Organic Products
7. Storage of Organic Products
8. Expensive Certification of Organic Products
9. Concentrated Ingredients in Organic Products
From the ingredients to the manufacturing process to the packaging, organic beauty requires constant care and due diligence that conventional beauty products don’t.
- Slow Growth of Organic Raw Ingredients – Non-organic beauty products are made from low-quality ingredients that are easily available. In contrast, Organic beauty products require the use of high-quality ingredients that are sustainably grown and sourced. The ingredients need to be grown following the organic growing techniques and practices. Without fertilizers and growth-boosting chemicals, organic crops grow slowly and do not deliver as big a yield as non-organic crops. Therefore, growing the same amount of raw ingredients takes more time when grown organically.
- More Effort Required to Grow Organic Ingredients – Since organic crops are grown without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and other such growth-boosting chemicals, they require more effort and constant care. They need protection from infections, pests, and insects, etc., that may deter the growth of the crop. Weeding is done by hand by the farmers, as well as insect removal. And if possible, they also require the use of organic fertilizers to help them grow.
- High Growth Cost of Organic Ingredients – Since organic crops are grown with manual labor, instead of chemical aid to grow the plants and protect against pests and insects, the average cost of organic plants is more than conventional plants. Organic fertilizers are more expensive than non-organic ones; for example, animal manure is more costly to use. Similarly, organic-approved pesticide sprays are more expensive too. When the plants are used as raw ingredients for beauty products, this high cost is added to the price tag of the beauty products.
- Less Supply, More Demand of Organic Ingredients – Because of all the above-listed reasons, organic crops are grown on a small scale, i.e., they are grown in small batches. However, more and more people are moving to organic nowadays, whether it’s for eating or other uses. Therefore, the supply of organic ingredients is low, whereas the demand is high in comparison. This imbalance causes the organic ingredients to be sold at a higher price.
- Small Scale Manufacturing of Organic Products – Organic beauty products are also made in small batches. Unlike conventional products that are mass-produced, which is cost-efficient since the ingredients are bought in bulk, organic beauty products are manufactured on a smaller scale. Because of this, raw organic ingredients are also bought in small amounts, becoming cost-ineffective. Moreover, conventional beauty products are manufactured in mechanized facilities, with minimum manual labor. On the contrary, organic beauty products nowadays are made primarily by small businesses with no access to such mechanized systems.
- Shorter Shelf Life of Organic Products – Conventional beauty products contain preservatives that increase their shelf life and make them stable for longer time periods. This is a necessity, as, without a long shelf life, big stores and retailers don’t buy the products. Organic beauty products are usually made without artificial preservatives since they can be harmful to the skin. Therefore, they have a shorter and natural shelf life. It depends on the botanical ingredients used in the formulation and how long they can stay good in a bottle or pot. Moreover, since organic beauty products use organic ingredients with minimum processing, they are unrefined and don’t have a long life, and processing can decrease their efficiency in skincare. So, on the whole, organic products cost more on average than their conventional counterparts.
- Storage of Organic Products – Organic beauty products are mostly packaged and stored in recyclable and reusable containers. Moreover, the storage containers are also designed to protect against UV damage. UV rays can cause oxidation of the product, decreasing the shelf life of the product even more. Therefore, organic products are stored in good-quality amber bottles since plastic bottles can react with the product and give out harmful chemicals that contaminate the organic products. In contrast, conventional beauty products are packaged and stored in plastic containers, which are considerably less expensive than glass.
- Expensive Certification of Organic Products – The organic label on organic beauty products is not easy to get. It is not only the long list of rules and regulations that need to be met for the product to be considered organic but also the price tag that comes with the label.
- Concentrated Ingredients in Organic Products – Conventional beauty products contain almost 70-80% of water, with Aqua/Water listed as the first ingredient on the label. Moreover, the products are filled with large amounts of preservatives, artificial fragrances, texture improving chemicals, and emulsifiers. Only a small percentage is left for the natural skin-good oils and products beneficial to the skin and used to market the products. However, in the case of Organic beauty products, a larger portion of the formulation is left for healthy and nutritious ingredients, focusing on vitamins, antioxidants, etc. This is because organic products contain the least amount of preservatives, fragrances, etc. Moreover, due to this highest concentration of skin-good chemicals and ingredients, you need less product to achieve good results.
