In the jungle of labels: COSSMA

Various certificates are intended to show customers how environmentally friendly, sustainable, and ethical the respective products are. In the second part of Amarjit Sahota’s article, you can read about labels that reveal more about social influence, the naturalness of ingredients, animal-free schemes, and religious suitability.

While ethical labels have their origins in the food and nutrition industry, now it is hard to imagine cosmetics without them. They are intended to help customers make conscious choices about various good qualities. However, so many of them have sprung up in recent years that it is difficult to keep track of them all. Especially since the consumer is often not aware which of them actually require strict criteria and which have been “invented” by the companies themselves for marketing purposes.

Social impact labels

Fairtrade is the main ethical label for social impacts of sustainability. Introduced by Fairtrade International, the Fairtrade label (standard) was originally introduced for agricultural commodities and is based on social aspects of ingredients production. It is used by cosmetic products that use certified fairtrade ingredients, such as shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, essential oils, etc.

The standard requirements are based on total product weight. For example, for oil or wax-based products the minimum requirement for fair trade ingredients is 5% and for water or detergent-based ingredient it is 2%. Companies are expected to use higher percentage share as the minimum requirements are relatively low. All ingredients that can be fairtrade certified must be used. Fairtrade ingredients must be stated in the Inci list and on the product label.

The Max Havelaar or Fairtrade Mark is the most widely recognised fair trade label. Since their launch in 2002, sales of certified fairtrade products have increased exponentially reaching about 10 billion Euro.

Other popular fair trade standards are Fair Trade (USA) and FairWild. Fair Trade (USA) certifies mostly food products, but it is also on some cosmetic products. The label operates mostly in the US and Canada. The FairWild standard focuses on crops that are wild-collected, but it shares the same social principles as the Fairtrade International standard. FairWild certification is based on assessment of various areas, such as resource assessment, sustainable collecting practices, cost calculation along the supply chain, traceability of goods and finances, and documented fair trading practices.

Natural ingredients

There are various ethical labels that refer to a particular natural ingredient or ingredients used in cosmetic products. For instance, Rainforest Alliance certifies crop and ingredients that are produced according to certain sustainability standards. Rainforest Alliance merged with UTZ Certified in 2018, leading to new certification criteria introduced in July 2020. Palm oil is the main personal care ingredient certified by Rainforest Alliance.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a non-governmental organisation that champions the use of sustainable palm oil and regulates its supply chain. RSPO acts as a membership organisation for stakeholders in the palm oil industry. It has developed a certification scheme for sustainable palm oil. In February 2020, it revised its Supply Chain Certification Standard, Supply Chain requirements for mills and PO Supply Chain Certification Systems.

RSPO certification is used by some cosmetic companies, as well as ingredient firms. Large cosmetic firms have committed to source only sustainable palm oil. Over 20 operators have joined the Action for Sustainable Derivatives, an industry-led collaboration that encourages responsible production and sourcing of palm oil derivatives.

There are many other single ingredient sustainability standards. Bonsucro is a certification scheme for sustainable sugarcane production and sourcing, whilst the ASC-MSC Seaweed standard is a scheme for environmentally sustainable and socially responsible seaweed production.

In November 2020, some of the leading private sector companies in the coconut industry signed the first global Sustainable Coconut Charter. The charter aims to reduce the carbon footprint of coconuts, enhance the lives of farmers, and boost supply to meet rising global demand for coconuts. The charter also states the main sustainability principles of the  coconut industry, as well as outlines goals in supply chains. The charter was signed as a part of the Sustainable Roundtable for Coconut Oil initiative that was created in March 2019. It is expected that the Roundtable will develop a sustainability standard for coconut oil production, similar to RSPO.

Vegan and vegetarian schemes

There are a growing number of certification schemes for vegan and vegetarian products, some of which are adopted by cosmetic companies.

The Vegan Society trademark is the most popular, adopted by about 52,000 products in 79 countries worldwide. Some of the key features of the standard are:

The manufacture and/or development of the product, and where applicable its ingredients, must not involve, or have involved, the use of any animal product, by-product, or derivative.
The development and/or manufacture of the product, and where applicable its ingredients, must not involve, or have involved, testing of any sort on animals conducted at the initiative of the company or on its behalf, or by parties over whom the company has effective control.
The development and or the production of genetically modified organism (GMO) must not have involved animal genes or animal-derived substances. Products put forward for registration which contain or may contain any GMOs must be labelled as such.
No cross-contamination in the production process.

The Vegan Society includes in the term animal all vertebrates and all multicellular invertebrates.

The growing popularity of a vegan lifestyle is generating consumer demand for vegan cosmetics. Plant-based products is one of the fastest growing sectors in the food industry, with consumers turning to dairy alternatives and meat analogues. The same consumers are now looking for plant-based or vegan products in the cosmetics industry. A survey by the Vegan Society in October 2021 found that 97% of British shoppers would like to see more vegan verified cosmetics and toiletries.

Over 24,000 cosmetic products have adopted the Vegan Society trademark. Although initially launched for food products, the label now has the highest adoption rate from the cosmetics industry. The Body Shop is one of its largest backers, declaring that all its products will be certified by the end of 2023.

Halal labels

The demand for Halal certified personal care and hygiene products is increasing mainly in Asian countries. The Halal label is awarded by various halal certification bodies across the world. Prohibited ingredients include materials or GMO, which are derived or contaminated with/from non-Halal animals, as well as ingredients from the animals which are not Halal slaughtered. Examples are gelatine, collagen, and beef tallow. Requirements for Halal certifiable products are:

No porcine
No alcohol
No contamination
No hazardous substances
Subject to audit
Product approval process
Subject to decision of certification committee

Future outlook

The ethical label trend has migrated from the food industry, which now has over 200 different labels that represent some environmental, ethical, social or sustainability attributes. As consumers become more discerning and ask greater questions about the products they buy, they look for ethical products. The growing number of labels is a manifestation of this trend. The number of ethical labels is therefore likely to keep increasing in the cosmetics industry.

Ecovia Intelligence expects more cosmetic products to be marketed on their labels. This development leads to many questions: Can consumers always tell the differences between these various ethical labels? Which labels are based on third party standards and which ones are self-designated? How many labels does a truly ethical product need?

Maybe the way forward is with mobile technology. As consumers look for ethical products, they do not have to obtain all the information from product packs and labels, they could potentially scan the QR code on cosmetic products. Using their mobile phones, they could scan products and obtain environmental, health, social and other indicators. In the USA, the GoodGuide mobile application enabled consumers to obtain this information. Over 210,000 consumer products were rated according to health, environmental and social impacts. The mobile app went offline in June 2020. However new mobile apps to help consumers make the right ethical choice when shopping is on the horizon.