What Cosmetic Chemists Should Know About Natural and Clean Beauty

Clean and natural beauty products remain on trend but the roots of the movement lie in a long-standing problem: formulating with natural ingredients is hard.

Really hard. And complicated.

Not just because nature doesn’t grow cosmetic-grade emulsifiers, but because the industry, and the consumer, often operate on very different definitions of “natural.” As a cosmetic chemist, I’ve seen this disconnect firsthand: expecting nature to behave like a synthetic lab ingredient is like expecting a grapefruit to behave like glycolic acid.

Let’s unpack what “natural” really means in formulation, why so many brands have pivoted to “clean,” and what the science tells us about both.

There’s No Such Thing as a Truly Natural Cosmetic

Let’s get this out of the way.

There is no lipstick bush. No wild cleanser trees. No serum streams.

Cosmetics, by definition, are manufactured, even if they include ingredients derived from nature. Most so-called “natural” ingredients are either:

• Extracted from plants and heavily processed

• Chemically identical to compounds found in nature

• Or completely synthetic, but nature-inspired

This doesn’t make them “bad” or “unsafe.” It makes them functional. But it also means that when a brand promises a “100% natural” product, it’s either stretching the truth or stretching the definition.

The Real Challenges with Formulating Natural Products

1. There Aren’t That Many Truly Natural Ingredients

The INCI dictionary lists over 20,000 approved cosmetic ingredients. Maybe 10% of those would pass as “natural” under stricter interpretations. And that’s being generous.

Most “natural” standards simply bend the rules, allowing ingredients that are synthetically processed from natural sources, or selectively ignoring synthetic additives (like solubilizers or preservatives). So while you may think you’re formulating with avocado and aloe, you’re probably also formulating with ethoxylated surfactants and synthetic chelators.

2. The Natural Ingredients That Do Exist Often Don’t Perform Well

Nature doesn’t always make great emulsifiers, preservatives, or surfactants.

For example, if you’re looking for a fully natural cleansing surfactant, your shortlist is basically:

• Soap bark extract (saponins)

• Soapnut berry extract

• Maybe a few glucosides, depending on how strictly you define “natural”

These aren’t as stable, effective, or easy to work with as their synthetic counterparts. And when it comes to colorants? Many natural extracts are not FDA-approved for use as colorants in the U.S. even if they look pretty in a Pinterest post.

So, what’s a brand to do when natural doesn’t perform?

They pivot to “clean.”

Clean Beauty: The Natural Alternative to Natural

Clean beauty emerged as a marketing workaround, offering the feeling of natural without the performance limitations or regulatory risk.

The clean beauty approach generally says:

• “We don’t claim to be 100% natural…”

• “But we leave out certain ingredients consumers don’t like…”

• “And we focus on being safe, gentle, and non-toxic…”

The problem? Clean beauty isn’t clearly defined either. Different retailers and certifying bodies use different “free-from” lists, and none of them are legally binding. One brand’s “clean” is another’s “questionable.”

But from a formulation standpoint, clean beauty at least frees you up to use effective ingredients, even if they’re synthetic, as long as they’re “approved” by whatever standard you’re following.

Inconsistent Supply and Function Are Real Concerns

Even when you find a natural ingredient that works, good luck sourcing it consistently. Agricultural variability, weather conditions, and regional harvest cycles can all affect:

• Yield

• Price

• Functionality (e.g., odor, texture, stability)

A batch of jojoba oil one year may behave differently than the next, especially for small brands who can’t afford large lot purchases.

Preservation is Nature’s Weak Spot

One of the biggest challenges in natural formulation is preservation. Natural materials are often more prone to microbial contamination, and the list of approved “natural” preservatives is short and not always effective.

You can try ferment-based systems, glycols, and organic acids but don’t expect them to hold up in every system, especially emulsions with high water content.

Poor preservation = unsafe product.

The Natural Fallacy: Safe ≠ Natural and Natural ≠ Safe

Much of the natural (and clean) beauty movement is built on the natural fallacy which is the idea that natural things are inherently safer or better.

But here’s the truth:

• Botanical ingredients cause a large percentage of allergic reactions in cosmetics

• Synthetic preservatives (like parabens) are some of the most tested and effective ingredients in the world

• Poison ivy is natural. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are synthetic. Only one of them gives you a rash on contact.

Safety is about toxicology, dose, and formulation context, not source.

“Natural” Has No Legal Definition (But It Can Still Get You Sued)

In the U.S., the FDA has no definition for “natural” when it comes to cosmetics. They’ve said as much on their website. But in 2016, the FTC began cracking down on “100% natural” claims when products still contained synthetic ingredients.

Brands like Tresemmé, Organix, and Babyganics have faced lawsuits over these marketing terms, some settling for millions.

Use words like “natural” or “organic” loosely, and you may not just get flagged by regulators but you could get targeted by consumer class action lawyers, especially in states like California.

So What Can Formulators Do?

• Don’t overpromise in your marketing.

• Focus on efficacy and safety regardless of ingredient origin.

• Understand that “natural” is a story, not a formulation system.

• When in doubt, follow the science not the sales trend.

The Clean Beauty trend may have softened the rigidity of “natural,” but it’s still driven by consumer fear and misunderstanding more than chemistry. As a formulator, it’s your job to create safe, effective, well-preserved products whether they’re built from a lab, a leaf, or both.