About Clean Beauty Certifications
Learn what clean beauty certifications and labels cover, how they differ, and how to check what a seal means for a specific product.
Beauty certifications can help you see what a product or company has been checked for. Each program has its own scope and criteria, so a seal is most useful when you know what it covers—and what it does not.
No single certification defines “clean beauty”; programs use different terms and assess different things. A certification may focus on natural or organic ingredients, animal-testing policies, environmental impacts, or another specific concern. A seal can help you understand a particular standard, but it does not guarantee that a product will suit every person or skin type.
On this page
- What a certification can tell you
- Natural and organic cosmetics
- Animal-testing policies
- Environmental labels and regulations
- A thoughtful way to use labels
What a certification can tell you
Start by identifying the exact logo or wording on the product. Check whether the program certifies the finished product, the company, a raw material, or a particular environmental or ethical practice. When available, use the certifier’s own directory to verify the product or brand. Certification criteria and product status can change.
Natural and organic cosmetics
COSMOS offers distinct COSMOS ORGANIC and COSMOS NATURAL signatures for cosmetic products. Both follow the COSMOS-standard; the ORGANIC signature has additional organic-content requirements. Look for the full signature and certifier on the product label, and check the COSMOS directory when you want to verify a listing.
ECOCERT is a certification body that certifies cosmetics against defined standards, including the COSMOS-standard. The word “Ecocert” by itself does not tell you which standard or product scope applies; check the accompanying label and certification details.
NATRUE is a voluntary natural and organic cosmetics standard. Finished products can be certified at natural or organic levels by an independent NATRUE Approved Certifier. The label applies to products meeting the program’s criteria; it is not a universal definition of every product described as natural or organic.
Animal-testing policies
Leaping Bunny is a voluntary cruelty-free certification program. Its standard includes requirements for companies and their ingredient suppliers and manufacturers, supplier monitoring, independent audits, and annual renewal. A cruelty-free claim concerns animal testing; it does not by itself mean a product is vegan or certified organic.
Cruelty-Free Kitty is a cruelty-free brand research and directory resource, not a product certification body. Its listings can be a useful starting point for research, alongside the brand’s own disclosures and the certification program’s current directory. A brand listing should not be presented as a third-party certification.
Environmental labels and regulations
The EU Ecolabel is a voluntary environmental label. For cosmetic products, its criteria address environmental impacts such as aquatic toxicity, biodegradability, restricted substances, packaging, and product performance. It is not a general “clean beauty” certification.
The European Union Cosmetics Regulation is law governing cosmetic products placed on the EU market. It is not a voluntary certification or seal. Legal compliance and voluntary certification are different things.
A thoughtful way to use labels
A certification can help you narrow your research, but it is one part of the picture. Check the exact product, the certification’s scope, the ingredient list, and any personal sensitivities or preferences that matter to you. “Certified” does not mean every ingredient is right for everyone, and a product without a particular seal is not automatically a poor choice.
A product without a certification seal may not have been submitted for that program’s review. The absence of a seal alone does not tell us whether it would meet the program’s criteria, so we should not assume that it would or would not qualify.
Some requirements are laws, not certifications. For example, cosmetics placed on the EU market must follow applicable EU cosmetics laws. The EU Ecolabel is different: it is a voluntary environmental label, and only products that apply for it and meet its criteria may display it.
For ingredient-specific questions, visit the Beauty Ingredient Library. It explains what ingredients do and why context—such as formula, concentration, and use—matters.