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Global Natural Cosmetics Market: The Battle of the
Standards Gains Pace
The
final version of the Cosmos standard has recently been announced. The
launch comes after six years of negotiations between the leading natural
& organic cosmetic certification agencies in Europe:
BDiH
(Germany),
Soil
Association (UK),
Ecocert (France), Cosmebio (France),
ICEA
(Italy)
and
Ecogarantie (Belgium). Combined, these agencies provide certification to
about 1,000 cosmetic companies and 10,000 products
Certification of the new Cosmos standard is expected to begin in
September 2009. There has been much anticipation of the new natural &
organic cosmetic standard, initially perceived as the basis of a
possible international standard. However Cosmos is
believed to be
losing impetus because of
its
lengthy gestation period.
A number of new initiatives, introduced in the last 18 months, are
gaining momentum and could outpace Cosmos.
NaTrue is the main rival. The industry group launched its standard in
May 2008, with the first certified products coming into the market at
the end of the year. The popularity of the NaTrue standard is partly
because it is backed by some of the leading brands of natural cosmetics.
A
number of developments are occurring in the USA. In 2007, there were no
standards for natural & organic cosmetics. Three separate initiatives
are now moving forward with the backing of
large
cosmetic
manufacturers.
The
frontrunner is Natural Products Association (NPA), which launched its
natural standard in May 2008. Over 200 products are now certified
according to the NPA standard. Burt’s Bees is one of the main supporters
of the NPA standard, providing US $1 million to raise awareness of the
new standard and NPA logo.
The
NSF standard is expected to gain
popularity. The NSF 305 standard is for cosmetic products that contain a
minimum of 70% organic ingredients. Developed by leading organic
cosmetic companies, it has recently received official recognition by the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The main rival to the NSF
305 standard is OASIS, supported by large companies like Aveda and Hain
Celestial.
Similar developments are occurring in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific
where a number of private standards have been introduced.
Organic Monitor expects the standards that provide regional coverage to
be the most successful. The major attraction of the Cosmos standard is
that it is a pan-European initiative. Cosmetic and ingredient companies
only need to meet this single standard to get recognition in the
European market. However, a major drawback of Cosmos is that it will not
replace any of the existing symbols and logos.
For
this reason,
initial interest in
Cosmos is expected to
come
mainly
from companies who already have products certified by the Cosmos member organisations.
NaTrue is winning support because of its uniform labelling scheme. The
standard has three levels: organic, made with organic ingredients, and
natural. Thus, certified products carry identical symbols, unlike Cosmos
certified products.
The
NaTrue standard is also taking the lead for a possible global natural &
organic cosmetics standard. It has already entered an equivalency
agreement with NSF for its made with organic ingredients standard. A
similar equivalency agreement with NPA for the natural standard is
scheduled to be signed in July. These equivalency agreements are
important as they prevent repeat certification of products and can
facilitate market access. Thus, a European company adopting
the
NaTrue
standard will be able to access the North American market by getting
its products certified by NSF and / or NPA.
To
conclude,
the Cosmos standard has been much anticipated by
organisations
looking to develop natural & organic cosmetics and ingredients for the
European market. NaTrue has
a
much
lower adoption rate than the Cosmos members, however its major advantage
is a uniform labelling scheme. With its strategic tie-ups with American
certification agencies, NaTrue is also providing access to the lucrative
North American market.
Related Report:
#8041-11
Technical Insights: Natural & Organic Cosmetic Standards,
A Critical
Assessment
Sustainable Cosmetics Summit
Organic Monitor hosted a number of seminars, workshops and
summits on natural & organic cosmetics throughout 2009.
The
exact details of the Cosmos standard, NaTrue standard, North American
initiatives and other standards
were
covered in
these events.
The
next such event is the Sustainable Cosmetics Summit, taking place in
Paris, 18-20th October 2010. It will bring together some of the most
influential organisations involved in sustainability in the beauty
industry, including the leading certification agencies for natural &
organic cosmetics. More details are on the
website
Posted: June 11th 2009
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