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	COSMOS-Organic / Natural European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	JAS Organic Japan · Tier 1 Gold	? 'Natural' (NOT a certification) Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing	IFM IFOAM — Organics International Global · 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).	Japan's national organic standard under the Japanese Agricultural Standard system. The mark must appear on any food sold as 'organic' (有機 or オーガニック) in Japan.	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.	The international umbrella body for the organic movement. Not a product label — IFOAM accredits other certifiers worldwide via the IFOAM Family of Standards. If a cert is 'IFOAM-accredited' it has been benchmarked to a globally consistent baseline.
Scope	Cosmetics	Food	Several categories	Several categories
Established	2010	2001	—	1972
Inspection	Annual on-site by COSMOS-accredited certifier	Annual on-site by MAFF-registered certifier	None	Periodic review of accredited certifier bodies
Residue testing	Risk-based	Required for high-risk operations	None	Delegated to accredited certifiers
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.	≥95% organic ingredients. No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs. Annual inspection by a MAFF-registered certifier.	Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.	Accredited certifiers meet the IFOAM Norms and the IFOAM Family of Standards. Independent peer review of certifier governance, inspection rigor, and conflict-of-interest controls.
Does NOT	Doesn't certify clinical effectiveness or skin tolerance.	Mutual recognition with the US, EU, and Canada applies to specific product categories — check each agreement before importing.	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.	Does NOT certify products directly — only certifiers. Look for the underlying national / private mark on the package.

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