The huge selection of labels screaming about naturalness is more confusing than helpful when buying. It is important to understand that they all speak of different properties, and not all are equally useful.

Eco can be seen on packages of goods in different categories: food, cosmetics, paper, household chemicals and any other thing, without limitation. Eco even applies to services. The meaning of the labeling is that in the production of goods or services risk of damage to nature is reduced, the composition of the product is not harmful to the environment. But note that such a label is not regulated by certificates.

Bio mainly applies to plant products and animal products. It means that these animals and plants were grown in an environmentally friendly way. Bio-cosmetics does not pollute the soil or release emissions into the atmosphere. According to the Russian state standard only dairy products containing probiotics can be marked with the word BIO.

Organic is put on goods that contain a high percentage of natural ingredients. In addition, this label guarantees health safety and that the ingredients are grown organically under appropriate conditions: no synthetic pesticides, mineral fertilizers, genetically modified plants, do not contain chemically synthesized preservatives, dyes, flavorings, stabilizers and thickeners, nitrates, growth regulators, hormones and GMOs.

Vegan – The unregulated designation that a product does not contain animal components. This includes all products of living beings: meat, eggs, beeswax, honey, collagen and so on. Labeling does not mean that the product has not been tested on animals. A different designation is used for that purpose.

Cruelty-Free is the most humane label for animals. But there can be pitfalls here, too. Maybe the final product wasn’t tested on our little brothers, but the components were. Or another company did the testing.

Biodegradable plastic – unfortunately, this label does not guarantee saving the planet from plastic waste. Such packaging simply breaks down faster into fragments that can pass through the food chain and into our food. In addition, microplastics take much longer to biodegrade naturally.