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	Non-GMO Project Verified United States · Tier 3 Specialty	COSMOS-Organic / Natural European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	USDA Organic United States · Tier 1 Gold	Rainforest Alliance Global · Tier 3 Specialty
What it means	North America's leading 'no genetically modified organisms' certification. Tests for the presence of GMOs in finished products. NOT organic.	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 US Department of Agriculture's national organic standard. The green-and-white seal is the legal mark for any food sold as 'organic' in the United States.	Sustainable-agriculture certification (post-2020 merged standard with UTZ). Covers environmental, social, and economic criteria. NOT an organic mark.
Scope	Food	Cosmetics	Food	Food
Established	2010	2010	2002	1987
Inspection	Annual third-party audit + lab testing	Annual on-site by COSMOS-accredited certifier	Annual on-site by USDA-accredited certifier	Annual third-party audit (RA-accredited)
Residue testing	GMO testing only (not pesticide)	Risk-based	Required on ≥5% of operations annually	Risk-based
Guarantees	Verified absence of GMO ingredients (with action thresholds, not zero tolerance). Annual third-party verification. Tracing and segregation across the supply chain.	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.	At least 95% of ingredients are certified organic (the '100% Organic' variant requires every ingredient). No synthetic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, no GMOs, no sewage sludge, no irradiation. Annual on-site inspection by a USDA-accredited certifier. Residue testing on at least 5% of certified operations each year.	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.
Does NOT	Doesn't mean organic — Non-GMO products can use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers freely.	Doesn't certify clinical effectiveness or skin tolerance.	Doesn't certify nutrition, taste, or animal welfare specifically (separate marks like AWA cover welfare). Doesn't guarantee local production — a 'USDA Organic' product can be grown anywhere with an accredited inspector.	Allows synthetic pesticides — does NOT meet any organic standard. Often confused with organic but it's a different programme.

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