COSMOS ORGANIC, Ecocert, « organic »: what each label guarantees
On a jar of cream or a bottle of oil, three labels look alike and are not worth remotely the same: « organic », Ecocert and COSMOS ORGANIC. Here is the difference, with figures.
« Organic » alone: nothing verifiable
The European regulation on organic farming governs foodstuffs and agricultural products. It does not cover cosmetics. There is therefore no European legal definition of the word « organic » on a cosmetic.
Consequence: a brand can write « organic oil » because a single one of its ingredients comes from organic farming. That is not illegal, and not necessarily dishonest. It is simply unverifiable: the word alone tells you nothing.
Ecocert: who checks, not what is checked
Ecocert Greenlife is an independent certification body. Seeing that name tells you a third party has been in to verify — not against which standard. That is the difference between knowing there was an exam and knowing which exam.
COSMOS: the standard, and its two levels
COSMOS is the standard, carried by five European organisations: BDIH (Germany), Cosmébio (France), Ecocert Greenlife (France), ICEA (Italy) and the Soil Association (United Kingdom). It has two levels, and the gap between them is considerable.
COSMOS NATURAL — contrary to what is often read, this level imposes no percentage at all. No minimum of organic ingredients — the standard states in black and white that no minimum is required — and none of naturally derived ingredients either. What it does govern are the permitted ingredients and processes: the list of petrochemical materials is restrictive, and their share is capped at 2 % of the finished product. The naturally derived percentage must be calculated and shown on the label, but no threshold is imposed.
COSMOS ORGANIC — the higher level, and the only one of the two to set numerical thresholds. They are cumulative:
- at least 95 % of physically processed agro-ingredients must come from organic farming;
- at least 20 % of the finished product must be organic — a threshold lowered to 10 % by derogation for rinse-off products, non-emulsified aqueous products, and those containing at least 80 % minerals.
Why that derogation? Because those products contain a lot of water or minerals, and neither water nor minerals can be organic: they are not of agricultural origin. A shampoo that is 80 % water will never reach 20 %, however good the rest is.
What this lets you do on the shelf
Turn the product over and look for three things:
- The level — ORGANIC or NATURAL? Only the first guarantees a proportion of organic ingredients.
- The stated percentage — COSMOS requires the naturally derived share to appear on the label. If there is no figure at all, the product is most likely not COSMOS certified.
- The body — a name must appear under the logo. A green logo with no certifier is just a drawing.
At comai.
Both hair oils are certified COSMOS ORGANIC by Ecocert Greenlife — the higher level, audited by a named body. The exact percentage of organic ingredients is printed on the carton, as the standard requires, and the full proportions of every ingredient are published here. The biotin is a food supplement: it falls under different regulation and does not carry this certification.
