Independent certification bodies verify the products’ compliance with the NaTrue-Criteria. First, the formulation’s compliance with the criteria is verified on the basis of the manufacturer’s documentation. This is followed by an audit of each production facility.

Membership to NaTrue is not a condition for certification. All products that meet the criteria will be certified.

Framework conditions for product certification in line with the NaTrue true criteria for natural and organic cosmetics

Product certification comprises a conformity examination where the formulation’s compliance with the criteria is verified according to the three levels Natural Cosmetics, Natural Cosmetics with Organic Ingredients and Organic Cosmetics on the basis of documentation submitted by the manufacturer. This is followed by the certifier’s audit of each production facility to verify that the certified products comply with the formula.

Basic documentation to be submitted for certification

• Details of the percentage distribution of the natural cosmetic products within the notified brand that are to be or are already certified.
• Intended marketing date.
• Information on production site.
• Quantitative formulation + INCI designation (if only a qualitative formulation is submitted, examination of the quantitative formulation is done on site with corresponding additional costs).
• Proof of origin or of the production process of the raw materials used in a raw materials documentation form.
• Details of the envisaged export countries for inclusion in the national product databases.

Production audit

• Control of the certified formulations and the raw material specifications needed for this.
• Complete traceability of production.
• Furthermore, the certification office is entitled - in the case of obvious severe shortcomings (outside the actual examination task) concerning the legal conformity of the products (e.g. non-GMP-compatible production, shortcomings/gaps in labelling and safety) - to refuse to issue the certificate.

Costs

• The costs of the certification application are invoiced by the certifier in line with the amount of work involved (either simple documentation examination or documentation examination + production audit).
• In addition, for each product an amount of about 100 € (80 to 150 €, depending on the number of products submitted for certification: 1-20 = 150 €, 21-50 = 120 €, 51-100 = 100 €, >101 = 80 €), must be deducted to cover incidental expenses for consumer information and notification of the label to NaTrue.

Validity of the certificate

• If the corresponding production plant has already been audited in the current year for another product concerning compliance with the NaTrue criteria, no further audit is required in that year irrespective of how many additional products are submitted for examination during the current year.
• If an application is made for the certification of further products from this production site the following year, then this must once again be done by means of an audit, maximum once a year.
• Even if no further products are submitted for certification, each production site, to the extent that natural/organic cosmetics which are still certified are produced or filled there, must be audited again after two years.
• Every variation to the formulation must be reported to the certifier. This may require a less extensive review of the documentation. The variation and the corresponding review, along with the date and the results, are to be documented by the certifier in the internal database.

Confidentiality

• Confidential treatment of the internal product data submitted by the manufacturers within the certification offices as well as within the offices of NaTrue and its national partner organisations is ensured.

Auditing of certifiers

• In order to ensure the quality standard of the NaTrue-label and the NaTrue-certified products, the certifiers themselves will be audited on behalf of NaTrue in regular distances of time.