There are countless manufacturers of cosmetic products. In addition to large, well-known brands, there are also more and more private labels and other new, small labels that often promise to make everything better. It seems impossible for consumers to keep track of everything. Especially if you value products that are supposed to be very natural. Marketing slogans and advertising promises often give the illusion of naturalness where it does not exist.
But how should consumers inform themselves?
The legislator does not really have a universally valid definition of what natural cosmetics are.
The German Ministry of Health tried to establish a standardised definition back in the early 1990s. However, it remained an attempt. In Austria, the Food Code defines the term. Other European countries have different guidelines. Consumers in the USA were given initial guidance back in the 1970s with the CIR label (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). From 1993, the EWG labelling (Environmental Working Group) provided further assurance. However, these labels make no statement about the naturalness of the products. They only guarantee ingredients that are harmless according to the current state of scientific knowledge. In other words, they do not pose a risk to the consumer. The US labels „NPA Natural Standard“ of the Natural Products Association and the „NSF/ANSI 305 seal“ of the Public Health and Safety Organisation are more precise in this respect. These labels are only awarded to products that consist of at least 70% or „almost exclusively“ natural or organic raw materials. They have been helping consumers to make the right choice when shopping since 2008 and 2014 respectively.
The Council of Europe presented a definition in 2000, but this was not implemented either. It was not until 2016 that an international standard was introduced in the form of ISO 16128. This standard defines the naturalness of ingredients in cosmetic products. However, ISO 16128 is not a recognisable definition and labelling for the consumer, as there is no label or similar to identify products. It is only used in the industry.
Associations and NGOs
Organisations and NGOs offer useful assistance to the 
Consumers. In Europe, the most important associations are COSMOS and Natrue. Both also enjoy a high international reputation. The COSMOS label was created by the national associations BDIH (Germany), Cosmebio (France), Ecocert (France), ICEA (Italy) and Soil Association (UK). The Natrue seal is an initiative of natural cosmetics manufacturers. In addition to the founding members Dr Hauschka, Lavera, Weleda, Primavera and the Dalli Group, over 50 manufacturers worldwide are members of Natrue - The International Natural and Organic Cosmetics Association.
The COSMOS and Natrue seals can be applied for both finished products and raw materials. They ensure the natural and sustainable origin of the ingredients and both prohibit animal testing and genetically modified raw materials.
Both seals provide very good guidance for consumers. There are also other symbols to look out for. For example, „natural“ does not automatically equate to „organic and sustainable“. Animal-free products are not automatically „vegan“. Consumers should take a closer look here.
The Cosphatec products
With our natural Cosphaderm® products we fulfil the natural cosmetics requirements for 
have COSMOS-approved status and are compliant with Natrue requirements. Feel free to contact us at any time and we can discuss your individual requirements.
We are sure that we can also fulfil your requirements for vegan, religiously compliant or, of course, animal-free products.
