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	COSMOS-Organic / Natural European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	? 'Natural' (NOT a certification) Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing	Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) United States · Tier 2 Trusted	Debio Ø (Norway) Norway · 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).	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.	A 'beyond organic' standard developed by the Regenerative Organic Alliance (Patagonia, Rodale Institute, Dr. Bronner's, others). Built on top of USDA Organic; adds soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness pillars.	Norway's only accredited organic certifier. The Ø-merket is required on any food sold as 'økologisk' in Norway. Operates to EU 2018/848 equivalence plus Norwegian add-ons.
Scope	Cosmetics	Several categories	Several categories	Food
Established	2010	—	2018	1986
Inspection	Annual on-site by COSMOS-accredited certifier	None	Annual on-site by ROA-accredited certifier	Annual on-site by Debio-accredited inspectors
Residue testing	Risk-based	None	Per USDA NOP	Required
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.	Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.	USDA Organic baseline (or equivalent) is a prerequisite. Soil health: cover cropping, no-till or reduced-till, conservation crop rotation, compost. Animal welfare: pasture-based, Five Freedoms, prohibits factory-farm conditions. Social fairness: living wage, freedom of association, safe workplace, no forced or child labour. Three tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold based on adoption depth.	EU baseline organic. Annual on-site inspection. Norwegian-specific welfare standards (esp. for cold-climate livestock).
Does NOT	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.	Newer label (2018+) — supply still limited, mostly US brands.	Norway is outside the EU — the Ø is recognised under EEA equivalence, not direct EU equivalence.

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Compare certifications · Organic.is