At first, Laurence Mulon [1], reminds us that the first natural cosmetics were made in Germany in the 1920s ..., with Weleda in 1922 and Dr. Haushka (Wala) in 1929. While the first French brands only appeared in 1972 with Phyt’s and Paltz in 1976. And it’s only as of 2005, with the help of several media events, that bio cosmetics emerged from their elitist retail channels to conquer other markets.
“Of course, it became necessary, considering, during all these years the profusion of emerging labels, to organize all these initiatives. Thus, the creation in 2003, of a European group of harmonization between six national organizations resulted, late 2009, in the publication of the Cosmos Standard. In addition, a European label, NaTrue, was created by several German manufacturers and published in 2008,” she underlines,
Cosmos-Standard: not an ordinary packaging!
"Globally", explains Laurence Mulon, "as far as Cosmos is concerned, the indication of bio value corresponds to the bio plant introduced (plant water included). The ratio plant/extract or plant/final product must be considered. A number of ingredients will be concerned during a transitional period of three to five years… But some questions remain unresolved, such as the one on the choice of the logo…The novelty lies in the introduction of the 12 principles of green chemistry…".
Packaging are of course subject to a special status. "Primary and secondary packaging" she explains "must be designed to minimize direct and indirect impacts on the environment during their whole life cycle". She also underlines, "the relevance of using cases, unit-doses or wet wipes should be reassessed" and she adds, "that plans should be made to have evidence provided during the certification stage of each element of the packaging," bearing in mind that "some materials are prohibited, such as PVC-based plastics and their derivatives, polystyrene and any materials containing constituents derived from GMOs, biodegradable plastics based on corn starch ...”
Na True label: 282 cosmetic products certified !
"The label offers three level of certification", explains Laurence Mulon, (natural cosmetics, partly organic natural cosmetics, organic cosmetics), "but importantly the label presents a novelty by introducing the concept of product categories (13 categories have been defined) inside of which are defined specific certifications criteria".
Currently 282 cosmetic products are certified. The certified companies are essentially German.
"The label emphasizes on limiting packaging to favor recyclable packaging or packaging made of renewable materials", she underlines, "and products must be designed for multiple use purpose (except samples)."
Eventually pressurized gas containers are not certifiable.
