Dishing the Dirt: Plant Based vs. Plant Derived

bandwapothecary
Sep 8
2 min read

When it comes to skincare and haircare, the words plant-based and plant-derived pop up a lot. They sound similar, but they don’t mean the same thing—and knowing the difference can help you shop smarter and feel more confident about what you’re putting on your skin and hair.

Let’s break it down.

What Does Plant-Based Mean?

When a product is called plant-based, it means the entire formula leans on plants as its foundation. The oils, butters, extracts, and actives all come directly from nature.

Think of it like a plant-based diet: The meal is built around plants, not animal products.
In beauty: A plant-based face cream might use shea butter, jojoba oil, and chamomile extract—without beeswax, lanolin, or synthetic fillers.
The vibe: It’s about the whole product philosophy, rooted in plants and often aligned with vegan or eco-conscious values.

What Does Plant-Derived Mean?

Plant-derived refers to individual ingredients that started from a plant, even if they’ve been refined or transformed along the way.

Example: Coconut oil that’s processed into a gentle foaming cleanser in shampoo (cocamidopropyl betaine). It began with the coconut, so it’s still plant-derived.
Another example: Sugar turned into glycolic acid for exfoliating. Still plant-derived, just in a more active, powerful form.
The vibe: It’s about the origin story of an ingredient, not the entire product.

Quick Comparison 🌱

Plant-Based	Plant-Derived
Describes the whole product	Describes an ingredient
Built primarily or entirely from plants	Originated from plants, even if processed
Often linked to vegan or clean beauty	Can appear in both natural and conventional products
Example: A body butter made only with botanical oils and butters	Example: Lactic acid made from fermented corn sugar

Why It Matters

Understanding these terms helps cut through greenwashing and marketing fluff. Just because a product has plant-derived ingredients doesn’t mean it’s plant-based. And just because something is plant-based doesn’t automatically mean it’s 100% natural (some formulas still use safe synthetics for stability).

The key? Read ingredient labels with a curious eye. Look for transparency—brands that explain where their ingredients come from and why they’re used.

The Bottom Line 🌿

Plant-based = the whole recipe leans on plants.
Plant-derived = a single ingredient comes from plants.

Both terms have value in the beauty world—they just describe different parts of the story. And when you know the difference, you can choose products that align with your skin’s needs and your values.

Your skincare should be just like you: natural, intentional, and rooted in something good.