Organic cosmetic labels: how to navigate them?

Since 1964, the Nature & Progrès association has been one of the precursor organizations oforganic Agriculture in France and Europe. Their mention aims to promote agriculture that respects living things and is at the cutting edge of development. Their specifications are one of the most demanding in that products bearing this label must:

• be obtained at 100% from biological components,
• not to containGenetically modified organism (GMO),
• not to contain synthetic chemicals,
• contain only non-toxic preservatives and of natural origin.

To obtain the mention, 70% of the products marketed by the company must meet these criteria and it must guarantee a desire to evolve towards 100%.

This French association has affixed its logo since 2002 to products following a charter guaranteeing three commitments : THE respect of the manufacturing techniques natural and organic cosmetics as well as that of Men, of the nature and animals. Finally, he shares a communication responsible and transparent and this throughout the life cycle of the cosmetic product.
The composition of organic cosmetic products must meet the following criteria:

This certification and control body approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is undoubtedly the best known in France. Since 2003, thanks to its specifications established with numerous players in the cosmetics sector, Ecocert has certified products based on two criteria:

1. The use ofingredients from renewable resources and transformed by environmentally friendly processes : absence of GMOs, parabens, phenoxyethanol, nanoparticles, silicone, PEG, synthetic perfumes and dyes, ingredients coming from animals (except produced naturally by them: milk, honey, etc.), recyclable packaging or biodegradable.
2. A minimum threshold of natural and organically grown ingredients which must be included in the composition of the product.

Ingredients such as water, salts and minerals cannot be certified organic according to this standard as they do not come from Organic Farming. There are two distinct mentions which are differentiated by the organic percentage obtained by the product: 

• Organic cosmetics: 

• Ecological cosmetics: 

- 95% minimum of total of the ingredients have to be natural or of natural origin,
- 50% minimum of ingredients plants of the formula must come from theorganic Agriculture,
- 5% minimum of total ingredients must come fromorganic Agriculture.

The label Quality France is issued by the French certification body Bureau Veritas Certification. The latter certifies products and raw materials not tested on animals within the limits permitted by regulations. The ingredients must also not come from animal materials. This logo affixed alone to your product provides very few guarantees.
However, the members who are both members of the Cosmébio association can also obtain Quality France certification. In this case, the organic cosmetic products that you consume respect the same specifications than the one cited above, that is to say:

• 95% minimum ofingredients of natural origin on the total product (water and minerals considered natural),
• 95% minimum oforganic ingredients on all of the plants,
• 10% minimum oforganic ingredients on the total product (water and minerals considered non-organic because they do not come from living organisms)

This label, established by an association in the United Kingdom, certifies products which have a simple formula with ingredients from organic farming, cultivated without GMO neither herbicides neither synthetic fertilizers. Their process processing and manufacturing must be as ecological possible. Furthermore, the specifications introduce a list ofprohibited chemical ingredients sensitive to altering human health or the environment.
We find in particular the parabens, THE silicones, THE petrochemical derivatives, THE formaldehyde releasers, of the surfactants, of the dyes and synthetic perfumes. Hydrosols and water are not taken into account in the organic percentage. 
If the latter is greater than 95% then the product is certified "organic". Otherwise we find the mention “made with X% organic" with X > 70%.

The BDIH is the German federal business and trade association for medicines, dietary supplements and cosmetics. This organization control and delivers certifications to manufacturers of natural cosmetic products thanks to code of ethics. The latter advocates the protection of nature, the transformation care of raw materials involving few chemical processes and the use of substances with low allergenic potential.
Its specifications imply the exclusion:

• animal testing
• raw materials having involved the death of the animals producing it (e.g. whale white)
• mineral oils, silicone and its derivatives
• synthetic dyes and perfumes
• genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)
• conservation by radioactive radiation and the use of dangerous preservatives
• cleansing and emulsifying bases obtained from heavy chemical processes such as ethoxylation.

A product is certified BDIH if he hasat least 95% organic ingredients not to mention water and minerals.

The Cosmos label arises from the desire of the national organizations responsible for the certification ofharmonize their criteria in order to simplify the identification of organic cosmetic products in shops. The founders of this project are the BDIH, Cosmébio, Ecocert, the Soil Association and the ICEA (Italian organization), this association is located in Brussels and its standards involve respecting more ecological formulation and packaging criteria.
Only physically and chemically transformed agro-ingredients are certifiable during calculation of the biological fraction. Water and ingredients of mineral origin are therefore not included. Ultimately, the objective of the repository Cosmetic organic standard is to replace national labels so that consumers can recognize organic cosmetics on an international scale. There are two types of certifications:

• COSMOS ORGANIC : This certification requires:

• NATURAL COSMOS : This certification concerns products composed of natural ingredients (for example clays). The percentage of natural origin is calculated as follows: (mass of the finished product - mass of ingredients of non-natural origin - mass of petrochemical grafts) / (mass of all ingredients)*100. No minimum organic percentage is imposed but the mention “x organic % of the total” can be added.

Like the Cosmos standard, the NaTrue certification comes from a desire to harmonize the different labels. To obtain certification, you must 75% of the products in a series of the brand or sub-brand meet the label's requirements. No artificial ingredients are tolerated and the water is not certifiable to avoid misleading consumers about the content of natural components. This certification designates three levels depending on the composition of the products:

• Natural cosmetics : They must have a minimum content of natural substances and a maximum content of processed substances of natural origin according to the categories of ingredients established in the standard. This is the lowest level of certification.

• Partly organic natural cosmetics : Natural substances of plant or animal origin must come from at least 70% organic crops controlled and certified by an approved organization.

• Organic cosmetics : Natural substances of plant or animal origin must come from at least 95% organic crops controlled and certified by an approved organization.

You should know that since 2004 following European Directive 76/768/EEC, it is forbidden  to market in the European Union cosmetic products previously tested on animals. There are now many alternatives such as in vitro testing, computer modeling as well as skin culture to test products.
This measure has since been extended 2013 to raw materials which are included in the composition of cosmetic products, thanks to Cosmetic Regulation No. 1223/2009. However, some of them are governed by the rEACH regulation relating to substances used in the chemical industry which does not prohibit animal testing.
The problem for the world of beauty lies in particular at the level of imported and exported products. Indeed, in countries like China, a cosmetic product must have been tested on animals in order to be sold. The majority of large groups and companies wishing to expand their market in these commercial areas must comply with local regulations and therefore carry outanimal experimentation.

Of the labels were created for products or brands with a desire to display their opposition to animal testing. In view of current regulations, the most relevant are those which include in their specifications the ban on sales in countries requiring animal testing. Furthermore, many do not guarantee the organic quality of the ingredients or the frequency of checks carried out. 

The number of labels dedicated to this cause being very high, we will simply list the best known and found on the market.