Cosmos

COSMOS is a harmonised standard for organic and natural cosmetics regulated by an independent, international and non-profit group - COSMOS AISBL, based in Brussels. The COSMOS standard sets out the rules that cosmetic companies must follow to guarantee consumers that the products they sell are truly organic or natural and that they are produced with the lowest possible environmental impact and maintaining high quality.

In 2002, five leading European standard-setting organisations for organic and natural cosmetics (BDIH from Germany, Cosmebio from France, Ecocert Greenlife SAS from France, ICAE from Italy and Soil Association from the UK) decided to create a unified standard for this type of cosmetics. After a series of challenging and technical conversations where a variety of approaches to the issue were discussed, the standard was published in 2010. This initiative also included all documentation and procedures for controls and process management, including approval and authorization of certification bodies and resources to revise and interpret the standards as needed. These organizations eventually decided to form a non-profit international association to adopt, manage and further develop the standard, which they called COSMOS.

The COSMOS process guidelines allow for two levels of certification - COSMOS ORGANIC and COSMOS NATURAL. The first category is stricter and more demanding. In addition to requiring naturalness and limiting the use of harmful substances, it also requires the use of many ingredients from organic farms. Particular emphasis is placed on an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly production process that allows for the recycling of packaging materials.

In order for a product to be certified as COSMOS ORGANIC, at least 20% of its content must come from organic ingredients (excluding products that are rinsed) and the ingredients of agricultural origin must be 95% organic. If a cosmetic product is made from natural ingredients but does not contain ingredients that meet the 95% organic criterion, the product is certified as natural with the COSMOS NATURAL label.

If a product that has been certified by one of the European certification companies also meets the COSMOS standards, the corresponding certification level is added in the form of a name under the logo of that certification.

In 2022, more than 32,000 products were awarded the COSMOS ORGANIC or COSMOS NATURAL label, more than 13,000 cosmetic ingredients were COSMOS CERTIFIED and more than 8,000 ingredients were approved under the COSMOS standard.

More detailed information can be found on the website http://www.cosmos-standard.org/.