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	COSMOS-Organic / Natural European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	Nordic Swan Ecolabel Nordic Countries · Tier 3 Specialty	? 'Natural' (NOT a certification) Worldwide · Tier 4 Marketing	Canada Organic Biologique Canada · Tier 1 Gold
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.	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 federal Canadian organic standard, mandatory on any agricultural product sold across provincial borders or imported as 'organic'.
Scope	Cosmetics	Several categories	Several categories	Food
Established	2010	1989	—	2009
Inspection	Annual on-site by COSMOS-accredited certifier	On-site + product review by national Ecolabel office	None	Annual on-site by CFIA-accredited certifier
Residue testing	Risk-based	Risk-based per category	None	Risk-based, conducted by 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.	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.	Nothing. It is not a certification and there is no body verifying anything.	≥95% organic ingredients (single-ingredient products: 100%). No synthetic pesticides, no GMOs, no irradiation. Annual third-party certification under the Canada Organic Regime.
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'.	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.	Provincial sales-only operations are not legally required to carry it (though many do voluntarily).

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