Natural vs. Organic Products: What’s The Difference?

As parents, we strive to give the best to our children. From the house they live in, the school they go to, the food they eat daily right down to the products they apply on their skin. With such diverse baby products in the market now, you may some time wonder which one is good for your child, what does it mean by organic, and why some products are labelled as natural. Fret no more, let’s dive in the differences of organic and natural products.

A simple meaning of the word organic is “grown or raised without chemicals or pesticides”. And your next question would be, what does that have to do with skincare products that are labelled as organic? It refers to the way the plants used in the ingredients are grown and it is crucial to know that info about the plants that make their way into your baby’s nappy cream or body wash. Hence it is safe to say when a product is organic, it means there are no pesticides and chemical remnants.

But, being “organic”, does not tell you entirely about other ingredients or chemicals that are added to the products. Which means you would not know how much of an organic product is actually organic. And according to the USDA, as long as the product has at least 95% organic ingredients, it can be labelled as an organic product. Therefore there are up to five percent of a product’s ingredients may not be organic although it is labelled as so!

Here are some organic products that you can find on Babydash.

Offspring Gentle Head To Toe Wash 

Buds Soothing Organics: Super Soothing Rescue Lotion

And products that are labelled as natural, on the other hand, imply that they are formulated with chemical-free ingredients. And as long as a product contains some plant-derived ingredients, companies may label them as natural. But that product can also include man-made chemicals. While ingredients that are naturally derived are great, it is also important to note that there are synthetic ingredients that are not harmful and harsh. There are a lot of man-made chemicals are just as safe, if not safer, than some natural ingredients (such as mercury).

Here are some of the natural products you can find on Babydash.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter

Chomel Breast Pump & Bottle Cleanser

At the end of the day, it all boils down to the ingredients used in a product. Always look out for unsafe ingredients such as paraben, phthalates, formaldehyde, avobenzone to name a few. Manufacturers can get away with including harmful chemicals in their products by categorizing them as “inactive ingredients” or as “fragrance”. Hence, do check their list of ingredients as you do not want these to be in your or your baby’s products!