
Natural Vs. Organic Vs. Clean—What Does It All Mean?
The words “clean,” “organic,” and “natural” are tossed around so often in the beauty industry that they almost lose meaning after a while. These words are plastered across almost every product we pass, and it’s dizzying. The worst part is that no one seems to have a straightforward definition for any of them. Seriously, what does natural really mean? Sorting through the jargon to find products that check off whatever boxes are important to you is murky at best and daunting at worst. We want—no, we need—products that are safe and effective. We don’t have the time, patience, or conscience for anything less than that, which is why it’s time to shed a little light on the subject and define each buzzword for what it really means (because, no, they’re not interchangeable).
Natural
According to esthetician and founder of StackedSkincare Kerry Benjamin, the word “natural” isn’t regulated—like at all. “Any company can say natural on its label,” she says. This means that no matter how many potentially harmful or—at the very least—questionable ingredients are found inside a skincare formula, its brand can technically still call it a natural product. Because of this, the word doesn’t carry much weight when it comes to beauty. In fact, it can pretty much be outright ignored.
Clean
While the word “clean” isn’t strictly regulated either, it does carry more weight than natural. Many equate the term clean with safe cosmetics. Typically, clean beauty includes a long list of “free from” ingredients, toxins and questionable ingredients the products are formulated without, like sulfates and parabens. Unlike natural and organic beauty, clean beauty doesn’t shy away from synthetic (or lab-created) ingredients, like hyaluronic acid—as long as those synthetic ingredients are safe. And since the FDA has only banned 11 chemicals in cosmetics, it’s up to brands (and consumers) to define clean for themselves.
Here at Versed, we’re committed to formulating every single product to the highest standard, the European Union standard. That means we use natural and synthetic ingredients (remember, not all natural ingredients are good, and not all synthetic ingredients are bad). We keep the good, cut the bad, and focus on what works. Each Versed product is vegan and cruelty-free, as well as free from fragrances and dyes and a long list of toxins. For more on our clean philosophy and our No List of ingredients, check out our About page.