Fairtrade beauty products are sustainably sourced from natural ingredients without compromising human rights. Find out more about the wonders of Fairtrade products.
The beauty industry is growing daily, increasing the availability of beauty products on shelves! As you shop for your favorite lotion or cream, chances are you have seen some with the Fairtrade label and wondered what it’s also about. This article will tell you about ethical beauty by delivering more about Fairtrade products and their significance. Keep reading to explore more.
What Are Fairtrade Beauty Products?
Any beauty product with the Fairtrade mark shows that the producing firm has met the international standards of Fairtrade certifications and is considered safe to use. The Fairtrade certification was started to ensure that all-natural products are sourced ethically and that all the farmers are paid well for their labor.
Fairtrade products are only made with natural products in the beauty industry. These products can include Shea, cocoa, avocado, chocolate, coconut, olive, and many more. Sourcing these products from the farm is labor intensive, yet some farmers get peanuts while the selling companies make huge profits.
Fairtrade certification ensures that all involved in the natural products sourcing process are well compensated for their efforts. It also ensures transparency in the manufacturing process, ensuring that the end customer buys a worthwhile product. So, any beauty lotion or products with the Fairtrade label means that the producing firm did their due diligence in getting the natural products and fully paid the farmers/laborers.
For a long time, trade labels have been standard in the textiles and food industries because they use natural products as their raw materials. Fairtrade beauty has become increasingly popular because beauty firms now consider using natural products instead of artificial ones to make the best beauty products.
Why Was Fairtrade Started?
Fairtrade certification was started in the late 1990s to protect farmers’ and employees’ rights and give them fair treatment. Most natural products used in beauty products, like cocoa, are grown in Asia, Africa, and South America, where the workers don’t fully enjoy their labor rights. Fairtrade ensures that the beauty manufacturing firms ethically get the products from the farmers by paying them accordingly.
When you buy a Fairtrade beauty product, you will be sure you support a farmer somewhere because they have been paid well for the work. Also, you will be sure the natural ingredients used are of high quality and that they have met the standards required in the beauty industry.
Benefits of Fairtrade Products
Here are the main advantages of Fairtrade products.
1. Protects Farmers Right
Farming is challenging, and the growth of natural products used in beauty products requires a high level of commitment. Unfortunately, some farmers don’t make any profits due to changes in market demand, price fluctuation, and even adverse weather changes.
All Fairtrade products have a minimum price listing, which ensures the growers get their share irrespective of market changes. With Fairtrade, farmers get more if the market prices are reasonable. However, they, because of the fixed minimum pricing, won’t suffer extreme losses when the prices are low because
2. They Are Easy to Find
Many beauty companies embrace natural products and have Fair Trade certification. Therefore, you can easily find Fairtrade products in many reputable stores worldwide, particularly in the USA and the UK. Online platforms like Amazon also have most of the products.
3. They Are of High Quality
When it comes to beauty products, you will only want to use the best, mainly if you have sensitive skin! Fairtrade isn’t all about observing the rights of growers; it is also about checking the quality of the products.
The producing firms confirm the quality and effectiveness of the products first, and a third party usually does the testing. Beauty firms only pay when they are sure of the quality of the products. Therefore, the right fairtrade beauty products can work wonders for your body.
4. They Come In Varying Types
Shea butter is the most commonly known natural ingredient for beauty products. However, Fairtrade focuses on all-natural products, including coconuts, avocados, honey, coffee, olives, and nuts. The wide array of natural products makes it possible to get a wide variety of Fairtrade products in your favorite store.
5. Helps Support Community Projects
Fairtrade is a global movement which supports more than 1.9 million farmers. The action doesn’t solely focus on offering fair compensation to farmers but also on facilitating community development.
When the market conditions are good and the farming products sell well, trade helps support community products for farmers, like boosting infrastructure and offering more learning opportunities to enhance growers’ skills.
6. Provides Decent Working Conditions
Lastly, producing Fairtrade beauty products helps provide decent working conditions to the growers. There are no child labor or payment issues, which motivates the growers to do their best. Every farmer gets justice for their hard work. When farmers are encouraged, they produce more, and the supply of great beauty products from natural products increases.
7. They Help in Environmentally Sustainable Production
Using chemicals or artificial ingredients in making beauty products can significantly impact the environment. Fairtrade products are natural and don’t produce harmful emissions during processing, helping maintain the environment.
When you buy Fairtrade products, you support environmentally sustainable production, which helps keep our compounds more conductive.
How to Identify a Fairtrade Product
Checking the Fairtrade label is the most obvious way to identify a product. Depending on your location, you will notice a Fairtrade product with a certification from Fairtrade USA and Fairtrade UK, among others.
Besides the certification, you can also check the ingredients. Are they all-natural? Fairtrade focuses on natural products grown, so a product with all-natural products will most likely be ethically sourced. Some beauty companies may not add the Fairtrade logo despite sourcing the products ethically from farmers, but you can still contact them for confirmation when buying.
Conclusion
Fairtrade beauty products are beneficial to both farmers and end users. Beauty firms get Fairtrade certifications from Fairtrade USA, B Corp, and Fair for Life if their products are ethically sourced. If you want a for-trade beauty product, check for the F logo and confirm that the ingredients are natural.