COSMOS NATURAL VS ECOCERT - WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

August 28, 2020

COSMOS NATURAL VS ECOCERT - WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

You may notice a couple of different certifications on our packaging, and each has good reason for being there – primarily to help you understand whether that Skinfood product has undergone a natural or organic certification process. We’re extremely proud to have a selection of Certified Organic products by ECOCERT and Certified Natural by COSMOS in our range, helping you feel confident in the processes we’ve undergone to bring you the best from nature. While the ECOCERT and COSMOS standards show different certifications on our packaging, both work together to express the excellent standard for natural and organic cosmetics that is understood and appreciated by the industry and its consumers worldwide.

ECOCERT

So, what is ECOCERT and what does it stand for? We’re here to clear up what this certification means for our production process and for you, our Skinfoodies!

Founded in France in 1991 by a group conscious of the growing need to develop environmentally friendly agriculture and who wanted to offer recognition to those who adhere to best practice production, the ECOCERT body specialises in the certification of organic products for sustainable development.

ECOCERT was the very first certification body to develop and implement a high and specialised standard that determines natural and organic cosmetics to offer an official standard of cosmetics produced using ingredients from natural origin. It looks at the full process of product development, from using approved raw materials, validating formulas, checking packaging & on-site audits.

The standard encourages transparency between producers and consumers, as well as inspire confidence in the products with the ECOCERT seal of approval that you see on shelf.

The ECOCERT logo features on the front of the relevant certified product packaging in the Skinfood range, with the words “organic cosmetic” beneath this. You can also find the percentage of organic and natural ingredients stated in the Ingredients list on our packaging.

Look for this logo on our packaging:

The basic principles of the ECOCERT standard that Skinfood must adhere to, to ensure an environmentally friendly cosmetic product are:

1. The use of ingredients derived from renewable resources, manufactured by environmentally friendly processes. ECOCERT therefore checks:

- The absence of GMOs, parabens, phenoxyethanol, nanoparticles, silicon, PEGs, synthetic perfumes and dyes, animal-derived ingredients (unless naturally produced by them: milk, honey, etc.).

- The biodegradable or recyclable nature of packaging.

2. A minimum threshold of natural ingredients from organic farming to be reached to obtain certification:

- ECOCERT Standard imposes that a minimum of 95% of the total ingredients come from natural origin.

- To achieve the use of the ECOCERT Organic Cosmetic logo, a minimum of 95% of all plant-based ingredients in the formula and a minimum of 10% of all ingredients by weight must come from organic farming.

3. On-site audits are carried out to ensure the standard continues to be met.

COSMOS

There are now five main natural and organic cosmetic certification organisations that have been established over the years all over the world, reflecting their own standards within the cosmetic industry.

The COSMOS standard was launched in 2010, to harmonise the various cosmetic certifications and labels, creating one cohesive standard to be internationally recognised for natural and organic cosmetics.

It works to bridge the gap of differences between regulations in five existing standard organisations. The goal is to uphold a process of inspection and certification for organic and natural products to ensure a level playing field for companies, clarity and confidence for consumers as well as effective progress towards sustainable development.

The process is very thorough and investigates all parts of the process and business, from produce resources, manufacturing checks and product labelling.

There are two types of COSMOS labels, COSMOS Organic and COSMOS Natural. Here at Skinfood, we have focussed on the COSMOS Natural certification (in conjunction with the ECOCERT Organic Certifications mentioned earlier).

The words ‘COSMOS Natural’ appear below the logo of our responsible certifier, ECOCERT, so you can recognise the trusted organisation that participates in the COSMOS-standard. You can also find the percentage of natural ingredients stated in the Ingredients list on our packaging.

Look for this logo on our packaging:

The COSMOS-standard applies to cosmetic products that are marketed as organic or natural. Its guiding principles are to:

- promote the use of products from organic agriculture, and respect biodiversity;

- use natural resources responsibly, and respect the environment;

- use processing and manufacturing that are clean and respectful of human health and the environment;

- integrate and develop the concept of “Green Chemistry”.

The standard divides the type of ingredients used in cosmetic products into five categories and specifies the requirements for each. Here they are with some of the key standards:

Physically processed agro-ingredients – may be plant, animal or microbial origin but no GMOs, no critically endangered species, only products of (not a part of) animals;
Chemically processed agro-ingredients – same as above, and the chemical treatments must respect the principles of Green Chemistry with the resulting ingredients complying with strict limitations of toxicity and biodegradability.
Water – must comply with hygienic standards;
Minerals and ingredients of mineral origin – must be of natural origin and may be modified with simple chemical reactions;
Other ingredients – a very limited list of preservatives and some other ingredients and petrochemical moieties are temporarily allowed and are reviewed on a regular basis, taking into account availability of acceptable alternatives.

In order to achieve the COSMOS Natural certification, each product must meet the requirements of the above standards as well as those around manufacturing, packaging, environmental management, labelling and communication. On-site audits are carried out to ensure the standard continues to be met.

We’re very proud to have so many Skinfood products certified to these standards and continue to work on bringing you the best from nature, so you can feed your skin in confidence.

For more information about these certification bodies & their standards, please feel free to visit:

http://www.ecocert.com/en/natural-and-organic-cosmetics/

https://cosmos-standard.org/for-consumers/

https://cosmos-standard.org/the-cosmos-standard/