COSMOS – Natural and organic ingredients for cosmetics
The COSMOS international standard defines strict criteria and certification rules for organic and natural cosmetic products and ingredients. It covers in detail all aspects of the sourcing, manufacture, marketing and control of cosmetic products. The COSMOS-standard is managed by a not-for-profit, international independent association and guided by four core principles:
- Promoting the use of products from organic agriculture, and respecting biodiversity
- Using natural resources responsibly, and respecting the environment
- Using processing and manufacturing that are clean and respectful of human health and the environment
- Integrating and developing the concept of “green chemistry”
The strict rules and requirements of the international standard provide a common framework for the industry, reducing the need for multiple certifications or ingredient approvals, and providing a more coherent accreditation for consumers on final products.
COSMOS Natural and Organic: Certifications for final personal care products
Trends covering natural and organic products often overlap, hence why it’s increasingly important to distinguish between the two claims. COSMOS offers two certifications for final cosmetic products:
- COSMOS Natural – available for products that comply with the COSMOS-standard in all respects, but do not meet the required minimum organic percentages
- COSMOS Organic – available for products that comply with the COSMOS-standard in all respects and contain the required percentages of organic ingredients
More information on the COSMOS-standard and certification can be found on their website.
Certifications for ingredients and raw materials signatures
There are two available certifications for ingredients and raw materials: COSMOS Certified and COSMOS Approved.
- The COSMOS Certified certification is available for physically and chemically processed agro-ingredients with a required level of organic content that meets the COSMOS-standard.
- The COSMOS Approved certification is available for non-organic raw materials that are approved for use in cosmetic products certified to the COSMOS-standard.
For all certified products, ingredients must meet the strict criteria of the standard and respect the principles of green chemistry. The production, manufacturing and handling of all ingredients are also evaluated to ensure they meet the standard. The whole supply chain is verified, providing a guarantee of the quality and integrity of the ingredients, or final products.
Croda and COSMOS
Many of our natural ingredients have been approved and certified by COSMOS. We have two types of ingredients in our portfolio:
- COSMOS Organic Certified – ingredients that contain a minimum percentage of raw materials from organic culture, as laid out in the standard
- COSMOS Natural Approved – ingredients from natural origin that do not contain enough organic material to be certified organic, but adhere to criteria laid out in the standard
Our Crodarom and Alban Muller manufacturing sites are COSMOS certified, which has enabled us to provide organic certified ingredients obtained from organic cultivated plants and eco-friendly processes.
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