 What is Ecocert®?
ECOCERT® is internationally known and considered the most important organization which supplies “Organic Certifications”. Its standards are very strict, and it supervises the entire production - the creation of formulas, the manufacturing, filling and packaging process etc. ECOCERT® certification is only given after a thorough and long procedure, and it demands from the company the most serious and respectful attitude towards the consumers, the products, and the environment, from an ideological point of view.
The requirements for Organic cosmetics, according to ECOCERT® standards:
* A minimum of 95% vegetable and natural ingredients.
* A minimum of 10% Organic ingredients from the total of the 95% Natural and vegetable ingredients.
* Only 5% maximum Synthetic ingredients, that are not included in the negative list.
The common criteria for the negative list:
No - SLS, Mineral oil, Silicone
No - Emulsifiers such as PEG
No - Carbomers
No - Parabens
No - Synthetic perfumes and dyes
No - Fatty alcohols or acids
No - Propylene Glycol
No - Isopropyl Myristate
WHAT IS ECOCERT CERTIFICATION?
Organization which conducts inspection and certification operations
There are several types of certification:
Certification of products
Certification of services
Certification of systems
• Organization Approved by the authorities.
• Respect of the standard ISO 65:
• Independence, impartiality and competence.
• Supervision: Certification Committee Management Committee
ECOCERT COSMETIC CERTIFICATION
Cosmetics Department
Inspectors in 80 countries
Certification committee
Technical follow up committee
More than 130 certified companies (> 18000 products) worldwide
CERTIFIED PRODUCTS
•More than 2000 products of which 5% with Natural label Wide range of products:
•Face care Creams
•Body care products : milks et massage oils
•Foaming products (shampoos, shower gel and bath)
•Soaps
•Make up
ECOCERT HISTORY
1978 : Creation of the ACAB (association of Organic Farming consultants)
1991 : Creation of ECOCERT (Evolution from the association status to a private structure)
1992 : First approval as « Organic Farming certification body »
1996 : COFRAC Accreditation on the basis of the EN 45011 norm (ISO 65)
2000 : extension of the certification fields
ECOCERT - In the world
Offices in 15 countries
Presence in 80 countries
COSMETICS CERTIFICATION
Difficulty for the consumers to distinguish true natural cosmetic products Standards the standards are validated by the actors of the sector and the DGCCRF (frauds) and is approved by the Ministry of Industry. Certification can be issued only by a certification body approved by the authorities
ECOCERT ORGANIC STANDARDS
A useful tool for professionals
To work out these Standards, ECOCERT:
Relied on its tested areas of expertise in Organic Farming: respect of the environment, respect of the consumer Relied on a group of professionals organized within a Technical Committee. Sought impartiality in inducing independent scientific expertise Sought quality by being selective but not excessively restrictive.
FINISHED PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS
Used Ingredients
Used processes
Minimum % of ingredients of natural and organic origin
Attestation of the suppliers for all used raw materials
Packaging
Labeling
TWO LABEL
• NATURAL COSMETIC
5% minimum of Organic
Certified ingredients on the total of ingredients, which represents 50% of vegetable ingredients
• NATURAL AND ORGANIC COSMETIC
10% minimum of Organic Certified
ingredients on the total of ingredients, which represents 95% of vegetable ingredients
FOR THE TWO LABELS : > 95% INGREDIENTS OF NATURAL ORIGIN
COMMON CRITERIA
95% mini of natural or of natural origin ingredients
Natural origin product = product coming from the nature and transformed by authorized processes.
Processes must be environment friendly (ethoxylation, sulfonation and irradiation not allowed for example)
5% maxi of synthetic products
(restrictive list)
Preservatives
Processing aids
COMMON CRITERIA: NEGATIVE LIST
• Synthetic perfumes and dies not allowed (even if the molecule exists in nature)
• Silicones, glycols etc…
• Carbomers
• Parabens
• Phenoxyethanol
• Quaternary Ammonium
• Products derived from synthetic fatty alcohols or acids.
INGREDIENTS SELECTION
Example of an emulsion
Requirements
No emulsifiers like PEG
No mineral oil, silicone
No viscosity controlling agent like carbomer
No preservatives like Phenoxyethanol, parabens…
No synthetic perfumes
No synthetic dies
Active : No solvent like Propylene Glycol
INGREDIENTS SELECTION
Example of an emulsion
– Solutions
• Emulsifier : Sucrose Ester, Ester of Polyglycerol, alkylpolyglucosides…
• Emollient : vegetal oil or esters of natural origin (C8C10TG)
• Viscosity controlling agent : Xanthane, Starch, Cellulose
• Preservative : positive list (sorbic acid and its salts, benzylic alcohol /DHA…)
• Perfume : e.o. or fractions from e.o.
• Natural Dies
• Active : no solvent, no unauthorised preservatives
RAW MATERIALS COMING FROM ORGANIC FARMING
Type of ingredients:
• Aqueous extracts (of which hydrolates)
• Dry extracts
• Hydro glycerinated extracts
• Alcoholic extracts
• Essential oils
• Extracts for perfumes
• Oils and oil-based extracts
Plants:
• Cultures
• Annual (2 years of conversion)
• Perennial (3 years of conversion)
• Wild collecting : declaration of the area (map IGN 1/50000, no treatment since 3 years, protection of the ecosystem.)
ORGANIC CERTIFIED INGREDIENTS FOR COSMETICS
• Make sure they are certified (ask for certificates issued by official organisations)
• Certification of Ingredients according to the ECC n°2092/91 regulation, JAS, NOP
• A lot of ingredients coming from third countries
If food ingredient : authorization of importation
If non-food ingredient, no authorization of importation
FORMULAS VALIDATION
• Gather all necessary elements on raw materials (TDS, SDS, certificates, attestations et questionary)
• Submit the raw material to Ecocert validation if the ingredient is not already authorized (website list)
• Submit to Ecocert for validation the % of natural ingredients and organic % to appear on the labeling
TRANSPARENCY TOWARDS THE CONSUMER: LABELING RULES
NATURAL AND ORGANIC COSMETICS certified by ECOCERT SAS –BP 47-F-32600 ....
ECOCERT logo:
Asterisk in the INCI list:
*ingredient proceeding from organic farming
Translation in common language of the INCI list
Reference to the certified characteristics:
% of ingredients of natural origin and % of organic ingredients
PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS
Transport, Storage
Processes, cleaning products and procedure
Energy, waste, discharge management (waste sorting and recycling)
Evaluation of the global quality system (traceability)
CERTIFICATION SYSTEM:
• Questionnaire and preparation of the inspection
• Inspection on site
• Inspection report
• Study of the report by the certification department
• Presentation of the files to the certification committee:
CERTIFICATION SYSTEM
License: Authorization to manufacture or distribute ECO and BIO cosmetics
Certificates: refer to the certified products
|
|
|
