Skip to content
Organic.is
All certifications
Side-by-side

Compare certifications.

Up to four certifications, side by side. Choose which ones

 
AB (Agriculture Biologique) logo
AB (Agriculture Biologique)
France · Tier 2 Trusted
COSMOS-Organic / Natural logo
COSMOS-Organic / Natural
European Union · Tier 2 Trusted
?
'Natural' (NOT a certification)
Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing
What it meansFrance's national organic mark, owned by the Ministry of Agriculture. Sits alongside the EU Leaf on virtually all French organic packaging.The leading certification for organic cosmetics in Europe. Two grades: COSMOS Organic (≥95% organic agricultural ingredients) and COSMOS Natural (no organic minimum, but the same restricted-ingredient list).The word 'natural' on packaging is a marketing term, not a certification. In most jurisdictions there's no legal definition, no standard, and no inspection. A product labelled 'natural' can contain synthetic ingredients, pesticides, GMOs, and artificial flavours.
ScopeFoodCosmeticsSeveral categories
Established19852010—
InspectionAnnual on-site by French-accredited certifiersAnnual on-site by COSMOS-accredited certifierNone
Residue testingRisk-basedRisk-basedNone
Guarantees
  • EU baseline organic (EU 2018/848).
  • Annual on-site inspection by accredited French certifiers (Ecocert, Bureau Veritas, Qualité-France).
  • COSMOS Organic: ≥95% organic agricultural ingredients.
  • COSMOS Natural: minimum natural-origin ingredients with banned synthetic restrictions.
  • No GMOs, no parabens, no PEGs, no synthetic fragrances, no SLS/SLES.
  • Biodegradability requirements.
  • Annual on-site audit.
  • Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.
Does NOT
  • Same standard as the EU Leaf — AB is the brand consumers recognise, not a stricter rule.
  • Doesn't certify clinical effectiveness or skin tolerance.
  • Doesn't mean organic. Doesn't mean pesticide-free. Doesn't mean GMO-free. Doesn't mean ethically produced.
  • Some markets (e.g. the US FDA on food, EU on cosmetics) place very limited restrictions on the word, but enforcement is weak.

Choose up to 4 (3 chosen)

Stay in the loop

Get notified when we publish new articles, updates, and organic guides. No spam, just honest content, straight to your inbox.

Compare certifications · Organic.is