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	COSMOS-Organic / Natural European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	Bioland Germany · Tier 2 Trusted	Rainforest Alliance Global · Tier 3 Specialty	Soil Association Organic United Kingdom · Tier 2 Trusted
What it means	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).	Germany's largest organic farmers' association. Bioland-certified farms operate to a stricter private standard than the EU baseline.	Sustainable-agriculture certification (post-2020 merged standard with UTZ). Covers environmental, social, and economic criteria. NOT an organic mark.	The UK's largest organic certifier. Standards are stricter than the UK government's baseline (which still mirrors EU 2018/848 post-Brexit). Recognised by the EU and USA under equivalence.
Scope	Cosmetics	Food	Food	Several categories
Established	2010	1971	1987	1946
Inspection	Annual on-site by COSMOS-accredited certifier	Annual on-site by Bioland-accredited inspectors	Annual third-party audit (RA-accredited)	Annual on-site, UKAS-accredited
Residue testing	Risk-based	Required	Risk-based	Risk-based
Guarantees	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.	Whole-farm conversion (no parallel conventional production). Lower permitted nitrogen inputs than EU baseline. Animal welfare standards stricter than EU baseline. Annual on-site inspection.	Reduced (not eliminated) synthetic pesticide use, with bans on the most hazardous classes. Forest conservation requirements (no deforestation after the cut-off date). Worker welfare and community development requirements. Annual third-party audit.	Stricter-than-baseline organic standards across food, textiles, cosmetics, and farming. Annual on-site inspection. Animal welfare standards (outdoor access, lower stocking density).
Does NOT	Doesn't certify clinical effectiveness or skin tolerance.	Like Naturland, membership-based — only Bioland-association farms can use the mark.	Allows synthetic pesticides — does NOT meet any organic standard. Often confused with organic but it's a different programme.	Logo is trademarked — not a free-licence mark.

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