In compliance with the COSMEBIO charter, COSMEBIO-certified finished products and the raw materials used to make them are not tested on animals, except when required by the law. Therefore, COSMEBIO welcomed EU regulations introduced in 2003, which aim to gradually ban all animal testing.
Animal testing for finished cosmetic products was banned on September 11th, 2004 in all member states of the European Union. Since March 11th, 2009, animal testing has also been banned for cosmetic ingredients, alone or in combination with other ingredients. As part of this ban, finished cosmetic products that have been tested on animals as well as cosmetic products containing ingredients or combinations of ingredients that have been tested on animals are banned in the European market.
However, this ban will not apply until 2013 to repeat-dose toxicity testing, reproductive toxicity testing and toxicokinetic testing, for which no alternative methods are currently available. True to its ethical values (no animal testing) and its legal obligations with regard to safety, COSMEBIO strictly adheres to changing regulations.
As a precautionary principle and out of concern for the health of consumers, parabens have been banned in certified cosmetic products since 2002, when the Association was created. Until 2008, the ECOCERT standard made exceptions for a small number of raw materials.
On the 3rd of May 2011, the French National Assembly definitively banned phthalates, parabens and alkyl phenols in consumer products, including cosmetics. Nevertheless, there remains many obstacles to be overcome before parabens are officially banned in cosmetic products: the ban yet has to be voted by the French Senate and accepted by the European Union.
A number of conditions are still standing in the way of paraben-free cosmetics, but not for COSMEBIO. All certified ingredients and finished cosmetic products are free of parabens.
The COSMEBIO charter banned parabens in the majority of its products as early as 2002, and by 2008 parabens were banned in all certified products. This choice reflects COSMEBIO’s commitment to apply the precautionary principle where parabens, and other substances used as substitutes for them, are the subject of scientific controversy.
In accordance with article L5431-7 of the French Public Health Code, all cosmetic products must feature mandatory information on their packaging (this applies to both conventional and organic cosmetics), failing this, sanctions will apply to the manufacturer, the representative and/or any third party responsible for putting the product on the market (€ 15,000 fine).
Products with the COSMEBIO label must feature additional mandatory information. For instance, mandatory information for certified-organic products must be featured on all of the following: product labels, packaging, brochures and all other marketing mediums.
The following mandatory information must be featured on all cosmetic products:
• Brand, company name and address of the manufacturer or company responsible for marketing the product,
• Nominal content,
• Best before date,
• Directions for use,
• Manufacturing batch number or reference number used for tracking the product,
• End use, except if this is obvious from the packaging,
• List of ingredients in accordance with the applicable Nomenclature laid down by the EU,
• Specific rules that apply to claims relating to animal testing,
The list of ingredients contained in finished cosmetic products must comply with INCI nomenclature (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients), a technical English-Latin based system of names used for referencing cosmetic ingredients worldwide.
The following additional mandatory information must be featured on all certified natural and organic cosmetic products:
• Certification body and standard
• Type of ingredients contained in the product:
- « 95 to 100% natural-origin ingredients »
- « 90 to 100% vegetal ingredients from organic farming »
• Ingredients from organic farming must be listed with an asterisk pointing to the following note: “Ingredients from organic farming”.