Product Certification

PRODUCT CERTIFICATION

Use of Ingredients

Cosmiko are committed to making our products with the maximum natural and wild ingredients, and carefully select other functional ingredients (detergents, emulsifiers, surfactants etc.) with a view to safety, efficacy and biodegradability.

Our entire range makes use of high quality plant-based ingredients – where available we also source ingredients through ethical sourcing programmes, including the Fairtrade Foundation.
Our ingredients are the most effective, pure, beneficial ingredients you can use which contain antioxidants, minerals, essential amino acids and vitamins than those which have been organically grown.

Many of our pure herb and plant extracts and essential oils are approved by the Soil Association, who are internationally recognised for their high standards, though as we source globally, some ingredients may be certified at source by a number of similar international organisations such as USDA, NOP and Skal.

We advise all customers to read the product ingredients, usage and warning instructions shown on the container label and website listings. All products should be tested on a small patch of skin over 24 hours before thorough use, and not used around the eyes unless instructed. Avoiding this might result in allergic reactions to certain ingredients contained within the product.

Cruelty Free (Not Tested on Aminals)

Cosmiko does not buy raw materials from any company that tests anything on any animals for any purpose.

Cosmiko only buys raw materials from companies that test none of their raw materials or anything else on animals now and have no plans to do so in the future.

Cosmiko does not just look at the one material we are buying from a company – we look at the entire companies testing behaviour. Which means, if a company offers a material that has not been tested but the company commissions or conducts animal tests for any other reasons we do not buy from this company.

At Cosmiko, we have always believed passionately in providing our consumers with highly effective, potent skincare products, developed with respect for our environment and without the use of animal testing. We adhere to the strict requirements of the European Cosmetics Directive (76/768 ECC) and the European Commission Regulation (1223/2009), which prohibits the commissioning and testing on animals, of products and ingredients, for the purpose of developing new cosmetic products.

Our skincare products are tested on consenting human volunteers by means of a “Cumulative Irritation Test” which determines the irritation and/or sensitisation potential of a product after repeated application to the skin of human subjects. We do not test our cosmetic and therapeutic products on animals as part of our product development process, or outsource this activity to any third parties, nor have we ever included animal testing in our product development process in the past. We work closely with our ingredient vendors to ensure they are aware of our company values and policies. We continue to adhere to the strict requirements of global cosmetic regulations regarding animal testing, with utmost respect for our customers and environment.

All products manufactured by us are vegan/vegetarian, i.e. free from any ingredient derived from whole animals or animal parts. For instance, ingredients such as carmine or ectoin are not acceptable ingredients for use in our products as they require the destruction of these living organisms in order to fulfil a cosmetic function.

Vegetarian products may use ingredients produced by animals or insects naturally, such as honey or beeswax, but only if the harvest of such products do not harm the animal or insect and is part of a renewable supply from the same animals which produced them.

Vegan Certification

Many of Cosmiko’s products and ingredients are considered to be vegan with the exception of certain products containing ingredients such as Beeswax and Manuka Honey.

In order for you to gain official certification for your brand’s individual products, you would need to contact The Vegan Society and go through their application process which will allow you to use their logo. This would only apply to certain products which do not contain animal derived ingredients.

Halal Certification

Halal means permitted, allowed, lawful or legal for Muslims. In cosmetics, to be certified halal, products cannot contain certain ingredients. These include any parts of forbidden animals, such as collagen and glycerine. Ingredients that could cause harm to the consumer such as hydroquinone and any human parts or ingredients derived from the human body, such as stem cells. However, plant derived alternatives are accepted.

In order for you to gain official certification for your brand’s individual products, you would need to contact Halal Certification Europe and go through their application process which will allow you to use their logo. This would only apply to certain products which do not contain animal derived ingredients.

Sustainable Palm Oil

Currently Cosmiko buy palm oil from suppliers / manufacturers who are members of the RSPO and who are therefore concerned about sustainability. This oil is then sold onto consumers of palm oil who are principally manufacturers of various consumer products and food.

Information from our suppliers:

The RSPO has drawn up a framework known as the Principles and Criteria for sustainable production of palm oil. Growers who have been certified against these principles and criteria can describe their products as sustainable. However the process is a complex and drawn out one, and as a result not many plantations have achieved this status. The issue continues after this because in order to bring sustainable palm oil to the UK market the oil has to be transported from Malaysia and Indonesia to refinery operations in Europe, processed and then transported to the end user. All the way through the chain this material must be Identity Preserved (IP) and so this leads inevitably to a premium for these products. Owing to the low volume of sustainable palm the premiums have been very substantial which has resulted in very little interest from buyers of palm products. With possible pressure from consumers the demand may grow but as noted, the process of certifying a plantation as sustainable is a long one so the supply is likely to remain limited.

Short term in the UK there is very little certified sustainable palm physically available. Suppliers we have been talking to are not offering certified sustainable palm but we will maintain pressure on them albeit we are a link in the supply chain, and we do not buy and sell very large quantities of palm.

Many of our customers are quite small users of palm oil and for those customers we have suggested that they take advantage of an RSPO “book and claim” scheme. The idea behind this is that sustainable plantations can sell certificates for each tonne of palm they produce. Buyers can buy these certificates to demonstrate that they have supported a sustainable operation. The oil from the plantation will physically be mixed with other non-sustainable palm for the transport and subsequent processing so it does not allow a claim that palm used was sustainable but it demonstrates a commitment to sustainability. With the lack of availability of certified sustainable palm oil in the UK, this is probably the only option available to smaller volume users. Most retailers see this as an acceptable compromise until the large producers of palm oil can be convinced to make available stocks of certified sustainable palm.

We will continue to work with our customers and suppliers to move towards the use of sustainable palm oil products.