Nature-Based Hair Care: What Vegan, Clean & Co. Really Mean
6 min read · Ingredients · Anna Schulenburg
"Nature-based" means a formula is built mainly on plant-derived and natural raw materials — but legally, the term is just as unprotected in Germany as "natural" or "natural cosmetics". Vegan, in turn, only says that no animal-derived ingredients are included, and cruelty-free is something else again. Sounds confusing? It is — but with a few basics, you'll be reading any label yourself in a matter of minutes.
Is "natural cosmetics" a protected term?
No — and that's the single most important takeaway of this article. "Natural cosmetics", "nature-based" and "natural" can in principle be printed on the label by any manufacturer; there is no legal definition. That gap is exactly the door greenwashing walks through.
Certified seals offer reliable guidance: NATRUE audits strictly and requires that at least 75% of a line's products are certified; COSMOS (backed by BDIH, Ecocert, Cosmebio, ICEA and the Soil Association) distinguishes between "natural" and "organic". A stubborn myth: "If it says natural cosmetics, it's certified." No — only an independent seal proves a real audit.
Is vegan automatically natural cosmetics?
Also no. Vegan means one thing only: no animal-derived ingredients. It says nothing about where the remaining ingredients come from — a product can be completely synthetic and still vegan. Cruelty-free, in turn, is about testing practice; the Leaping Bunny seal is a reliable way to verify it.
And one more myth deserves debunking: "Natural is automatically gentler." Not quite — essential oils are among the most common contact allergens. Whether a product suits you is decided by your scalp, not by how the label looks.
How do you spot greenwashing?
Typical warning signs you'll now see instantly: green packaging with leaves and vagueness like "with the power of nature" — but no seal; prominent "free-from" claims as the only selling point; and "with organic aloe vera" when only traces are included, while the base is a perfectly ordinary formula. None of this is illegal — but none of it replaces substance.
How to check a product in three steps
Step 1 — Look for a seal. Does the product carry a certified natural-cosmetics seal like NATRUE or COSMOS? If yes, the claim has been audited. If no, that's not a deal-breaker — but then the look at the ingredients matters all the more.
Step 2 — Scan the INCI list. Ingredients are listed in descending concentration — the first five positions define the product's character. A Latin plant name plus "Extract" or "Oil" means a botanical ingredient; "Paraffinum Liquidum" is mineral oil. Important: complicated-sounding doesn't mean bad — Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, for example, is a mild coconut-based surfactant. There's more on this in the guide to silicones and sulfates.
Step 3 — Hold the claims up against the facts. Does the marketing match the list? "With precious argan oil" loses its shine when the oil sits at position 28. The more specific a manufacturer gets, the more trustworthy they usually are.
Where does MONAT sit on this spectrum?
Honest positioning: MONAT is not certified natural cosmetics — and shouldn't be called that. The approved self-description is nature-based: formulas built on plant-derived ingredients, vegan and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free — without sulfates, parabens and phthalates. One example is REJUVENIQE® Oil Intensive, a blend of more than 13 plant and essential oils centered on abyssinian oil; the MONAT Scalp Comfort™ Rebalancing line is made of 85% naturally derived ingredients. The free hair analysis shows you which ingredients suit your hair profile — and afterwards your consultant will gladly walk you through every single INCI line, instead of trying to impress you with green leaves.
Quick questions
Is "nature-based" a protected term? No — no more than "natural cosmetics" or "natural". Only certified seals like NATRUE or COSMOS are reliably audited.
Is vegan shampoo automatically more natural? No. Vegan only concerns animal-derived ingredients — a purely synthetic product can be vegan. Naturalness and cruelty-free status are separate questions with separate seals.
Is MONAT natural cosmetics? No, not in the certified sense. The products are nature-based formulas, vegan and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free — without sulfates, parabens and phthalates.
Are synthetic ingredients bad? No. Tolerance and effect depend on the individual substance, not its origin — some synthetic surfactants are milder than "natural" alternatives, and essential oils can irritate.
No more label guessing: The free Glow Tribe hair quiz analyzes your hair profile in 2–3 minutes — and a personal consultant tells you honestly which ingredients your hair really needs and which marketing terms you can safely ignore.