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	COSMOS-Organic / Natural European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	Nordic Swan Ecolabel Nordic Countries · Tier 3 Specialty	JAS Organic Japan · Tier 1 Gold	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 official environmental label of the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland). Covers ~60 product categories from cleaning products to hotels — NOT specifically an organic standard.	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.	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	Food	Food
Established	2010	1989	2001	1986
Inspection	Annual on-site by COSMOS-accredited certifier	On-site + product review by national Ecolabel office	Annual on-site by MAFF-registered certifier	Annual on-site by Debio-accredited inspectors
Residue testing	Risk-based	Risk-based per category	Required for high-risk operations	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.	Lifecycle-based environmental criteria for the product category. Restrictions on hazardous chemicals. Recyclability and packaging requirements. Audited every 3-5 years against an updated standard.	≥95% organic ingredients. No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs. Annual inspection by a MAFF-registered certifier.	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 certify food as organic — Nordic Swan on a food package means lower-environmental-impact, not 'no synthetic pesticides'.	Mutual recognition with the US, EU, and Canada applies to specific product categories — check each agreement before importing.	Norway is outside the EU — the Ø is recognised under EEA equivalence, not direct EU equivalence.

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