How natural is my spa skin care product?

What can spa operators do to capture the growing natural and organic beauty segment? How can spas educate their team and the consumer in their spa about the organic and natural beauty products they offer?

In many instances the perception is that products not containing chemicals are healthier for you, and therefore consumers are consciously choosing more products that have plant based ingredients and essential oils listed on the label. Even thought natural products can be very enticing to spa goers, only a small amount of ingredients actually fit the bill, leaving spa goers and aestheticians alike confused over what is and what isn't organic and or natural.

Currently many countries have no official regulation or standards for organic and or natural skin and body care products leaving consumers vulnerable to misinformation. As a result the industry as a whole is being left wide open to dubious claims concerning the authenticity of the products we sell. Several brands are already using the words organic and natural in their company name and or marketing collateral to imply to consumers that they are organic and natural, when they are not.

Based on increasingly educated consumer scrutiny, shortly it will no longer be acceptable to use the words organic or natural on the label without validating such claims through sound and recognized independent certification.

Since certification is what consumers trust in, some brands are using organic agriculture certifications for their products which in many cases may not be totally appropriate when we are talking specifically about skin and body care. Again, these agricultural based bodies might certify only a small amount of ingredients but not the complete final product including water and or emulsifiers.

Currently there are two European bodies that have certification options that specialize more in skin and body care product standards, French based EcoCert for organic and German based BDIH for natural.  And for those brands who feel their own organic and natural standards exceed the certification standards of the above mentioned bodies, there is EcoControl.  As EcoCert and BDIH become more common and effectively the basic entry point for certified organic and natural skin and body care products, EcoControl is a certification option for brands who want to raise the organic and natural quality bar even higher by setting their own superior standards above EcoCert and BDIH to significantly differentiate themselves in this highly competitive and crowded marketplace.

Mark Wuttke heads the Wuttke Group, LLC, a world class business development team with a focus on sustainable luxury, spa, boutique retail, organic luxury and the emerging category of eco-chic. Developing business globally, his clients are in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Hong Kong, UAE in addition to the USA and Australia. www.wuttkegroup.com