Product Launch: COSMOS Range

In the 2023 Organic Market Report, the Soil Association reveals that the UK organic market continues its eleventh year of growth, rising steadily by 1.6% in 2022 to reach a record value of £3.1bn. The organic cosmetics market is expected to be valued at US$ 20.5 Billion in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 5.1% until 2033.

The range of four new formulations allows brands and manufacturers in the personal care market to easily administer the change from Soil Association to COSMOS certified. The Soil Association no longer provides new certification to its own standard, only now offering new certifications to The COSMOS standard. The COSMOS standard oversees organic and natural certification within the personal care sector in Europe and COSMOS Organic is a certification for organic beauty products that use between 20 & 95%+ of organic materials.

It is important to note that based on the dated COSMOS guidelines in June 2020, palm and palm kernel oils and derivatives used should be certified RSPO Mass Balance as the minimum requirent. Here are COSMOS certified products that comply with the updated standards:

Stephenson’s COSMOS Organic certified Bodywash Base contains a natural liquid soap base made from organic oils. All the base requires is the simple addition of essential oils or fragrance and it can readily be thickened with salt. Containing organic glycerin naturally derived from organic sunflower and coconut oils, this liquid base is blended with gentle surfactants to provide a creamy lather. This base also allows the production of a certified bodywash, if the converter/filler also has organic certification.

The COSMOS Organic certified Shampoo Base is fully formulated, contains mild surfactants and is pre-thickened, simply requiring the addition of fragrance and or essential oils. The product is blended with approved gentle surfactants to provide masses of creamy lather, is free from sulfates, SLS, SLES and parabens and is enriched with aloe vera.

The COSMOS Organic certified Conditioner Base is blended with nourishing organic certified shea butter, jojoba, sunflower, olive and coconut oils. This base is fully formulated, pre-thickened and only requires the addition of organic essential oils or fragrance. It is suitable for all hair types and enriched with nourishing emollients.

Stephenson’s COSMOS Organic certified Lotion Base is fully formulated and pre-thickened, only requiring organic fragrance or essential oils to create a product made with organic ingredients. Gentle on all skin types, it is enriched with moisturising aloe vera having a light, velvety texture that leaves skin feeling silky.

We also have COSMOS Organic and Natural certified Extruded Soap Bases Opal PC-NC-SG is our most recent addition to the COSMOS range. It is COSMOS Natural certified extruded soap base, also made using RSPO Certified Sustainable palm oil and Coconut oil. This extruded base supports growing customer demand for sustainable soap bars.

Understanding the parameters of certification

The COSMOS Certification carries two parameters dependent on how much of the product’s ingredients are Organic;

Made with Organic

• If the product has between 20 to 95% organic ingredients, the product can be referenced as ‘made with organic’ and use the COSMOS logo.

Organic

• If the product has 95% or above you can reference your product as ‘organic’ and use the COSMOS logo.

How is the organic % calculated?

Previously, the five organic standards (Ecocert, QAI, Cosmos, USDA Organic and Soil Association) calculated the percentages differently. This meant there were varying inconsistencies across organic products in Europe and the rest of the world. The new guidelines only calculate the dry weight of the organic material, excluding any water from the formulation. For example;

Previously for Soil Association organic certification, the water was removed from the formulation. The remaining materials calculated up to 100% to form a dry weight formulation. The organic materials then added together gave the Soil Associations organic percentage.

The new standards for COSMOS exclude water and only calculates the input organic materials.

This is why the same formulation approved under both standards have a different organic percentage.

(This is a basic example of how it’s calculated for Soil Associate and now for Cosmos)

Certification: Previous; Soil Association: 100% = “Organic”

Now; COSMOS: 25% = “Made with Organic”

As the 5 international certifying bodies now work closely together is such an important and positive step in achieving a level playing field when organic standards are concerned. This not only helps customers certify products but helps customers understand how the products can be certified.

For more information regarding our COSMOS certified products, download our COSMOS Guide book by clicking the link below.

If you need formulatory advice, we have knowledge and we can provide recommendations and processing instructions to make your projects a success. Get in touch with us today!