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	Bio Suisse 'Knospe' (Bud) Switzerland · Tier 2 Trusted	? 'Natural' (NOT a certification) Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing	BioGro New Zealand New Zealand · Tier 1 Gold	COSMOS-Organic / Natural European Union · Tier 2 Trusted
What it means	The Swiss organic farmers' federation mark. The Knospe (Bud) is the dominant organic mark in Swiss supermarkets and operates to standards stricter than the Swiss federal organic ordinance.	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.	New Zealand's largest organic certifier. Recognised by the EU, US, and Japan under their respective import-equivalence regimes.	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).
Scope	Food	Several categories	Several categories	Cosmetics
Established	1981	—	1983	2010
Inspection	Annual on-site, bio.inspecta accredited	None	Annual on-site, IFOAM-accredited	Annual on-site by COSMOS-accredited certifier
Residue testing	Required	None	Risk-based	Risk-based
Guarantees	Whole-farm conversion. Lower nitrogen inputs than the Swiss federal organic baseline. Strong animal welfare requirements. Annual on-site inspection.	Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.	≥95% organic ingredients. No synthetic pesticides, no GMOs. Annual on-site inspection. Covers food, textiles, and personal care under separate standards.	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.
Does NOT	Switzerland is outside the EU — the Knospe is recognised by the EU under the Switzerland-EU equivalence agreement, but not by USDA without further certification.	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.	New Zealand has no single legally-mandated 'organic' definition — voluntary certification is the norm.	Doesn't certify clinical effectiveness or skin tolerance.

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