You choose to live a lifestyle free of the preservatives and chemicals that most major companies include in their products. So you choose to buy organic materials, from your food to your makeup, you choose to keep it natural.

But how do you know if the products you buys are actually chemical free?

As for the produce you consume, your fruits and vegetables can come at different levels when it comes to being organic. While certified organic produce is hard to find, it’s the best produce with the least amount of chemicals, which is 95 percent or more chemical-free.

When it comes to makeup, it is not always that easy to define the organic standards. Products that are often labeled “organic” can be misleading at times. Instead of being fooled, know the difference in your makeup:

Organic makeup:

The ones with the organic seal should include at least 95 percent of organic materials within the product. This is the best quality of natural makeup that can be found. While others may claim to be organic on the label, the ones with the certified organic seal on the container are the only ones truly considered organic.

Natural makeup:

While the products may not always be organic, the makeup brand labeled with the “natural” seal are comprised of only natural materials. This means that truly 100 percent of the materials within the product are derived from natural resources. Sometimes, makeup can be both organic and 100 percent natural, but sometimes the natural label can stand alone. This is good information to keep in mind.

Natural with organic portion makeup:

If you are trying to stay strictly organic, steer clear of the “natural with organic portion label.” This is a sly way companies try to pretend their products are completely natural, organic, and chemical free. But to have this label, the company only needs to ensure that at least 70 percent of the materials going into their product is organic. So for these brands, up to 30 percent of the materials in the makeup can include chemicals, and chemically altered materials. Sadly, this can be labeled as makeup with an organic portion, and on the labels, many brands will to write their brand off as organic by listing the organic ingredients first and by including the organic title in the label. This can be a misleading trick that can fool customers.

Now that you know what the different organic and natural seals mean, make sure you are aware of other ways the makeup companies tend to trick people:

Avoid products with the label “Included organic materials”

If you thought the “natural with an organic portion” label was a joke, this takes the cake. The products with this label may have some organic materials within the product, but likely, most of the materials used in the product are not organic. While it is nice that some things within the product are organic, the product itself cannot be considered organic, or even close to organic.

Look closely at green labels

When we think of the color green, we think natural. We subliminally associate the color green with leaves, tress, grass, and other things associated with nature. So when we see these makeup products with green labels, we tend to assume they are natural, especially if they hint that they are natural or include organic ingredients. Pay close attention to these labels and make sure you don’t get fooled by the misleading color next time you shop for organic makeup.

Next time you shop for organic makeup products, keep these tips in mind so that you can find the best products to maintain an organic and chemical free lifestyle that is better for your skin, health, and the environment.