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	USDA Organic United States · Tier 1 Gold	COSMOS-Organic / Natural European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	NATRUE European Union · Tier 2 Trusted	Bioland Germany · Tier 2 Trusted
What it means	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.	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).	An EU-based natural-and-organic cosmetics certification. Three grades: Natural, Natural with Organic portion, and Organic.	Germany's largest organic farmers' association. Bioland-certified farms operate to a stricter private standard than the EU baseline.
Scope	Food	Cosmetics	Cosmetics	Food
Established	2002	2010	2007	1971
Inspection	Annual on-site by USDA-accredited certifier	Annual on-site by COSMOS-accredited certifier	Annual third-party audit	Annual on-site by Bioland-accredited inspectors
Residue testing	Required on ≥5% of operations annually	Risk-based	Risk-based	Required
Guarantees	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.	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.	Restricted ingredient list (no synthetic fragrances, no silicones, no PEGs). Tiered organic content: Natural with Organic portion ≥70% certified organic; Organic ≥95%. Annual third-party verification.	Whole-farm conversion (no parallel conventional production). Lower permitted nitrogen inputs than EU baseline. Animal welfare standards stricter than EU baseline. Annual on-site inspection.
Does NOT	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.	Doesn't certify clinical effectiveness or skin tolerance.	Mark is trademark-protected.	Like Naturland, membership-based — only Bioland-association farms can use the mark.

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