Ever since we started writing about natural and organic cosmetics, we’ve been doing our bit for clarity in labeling. That’s why we came up with our own Beauty Bible Daisy Rating, which has had Jo going half-blind looking at ingredients in the products which feature in our books: no daisies if the product’s mostly synthetic, one if mostly natural with some synthetics, two for all-natural, and three for the brands which take it one stage further and go for organic certification. (More power to their beautifully-exfoliated elbows, we say.)

But our little system isn’t an ‘industry standard’ – you won’t find it on packaging, simply in our books. So we’ll do anything we can to support the Soil Association’s Campaign for Clarity (it runs from 14^th-21^st September), to help educate beauty-lovers about what is and isn’t organic, and help them make changes to their beauty regime in an informed way.

Check out the Soil Association’s campaign at www.soilassociation.org.uk.

We also very much like these tips on selecting truly natural and organic skincare, from Wendy Stirling, founder of the multi-award-winning brand Botanicals…

1 Select products that are certified by key natural and organic certification bodies.

2 Check the ingredients list, carefully avoiding any synthetic or chemical ingredients and opting for natural and a high percentage of organic ingredients, instead. (Do use the GREEN PAGES section of our own website here for clarification on ingredients: sometimes, confusingly, those which sound synthetic are actually Latin translations of naturals – as required by cosmetics labeling law…)

3 See whether the company has won any awards and been recognised for its commitment to the natural and/or organic skincare industry.

4 Research how a natural and organic product is made. Usually they are produced with care, passion and dedication and in smaller batches, for greater quality products with better quality ingredients and enhanced benefits for skin.

5 Lastly, Wendy observes, ‘Organic skincare products are usually no more expensive than many “luxury brands” and in many cases provide comparable, if not superior, results – as well as being safer and kinder to your skin.’

Do your bit to support the Campaign for Clarity by tweeting: #organicbeauty #campaign4clarity