The COSMOS standard is the result of cooperation between European standard organizations and certification bodies. The COSMOS standard is used worldwide and IONC GmbH is authorized to assign the COSMOS signatures "COSMOS natural" and "COSMOS organic" for finished products as well as the signatures "COSMOS certified" and "COSMOS approved" together with the BDIH control label. The authorization is based on an accreditation according to the COSMOS standard and an associated ongoing control by an accreditation body.

The BDIH standard for "controlled natural cosmetics" was the world's first private system for independent product control and the well-known BDIH control mark continues to be used within the internationally harmonized COSMOS standard. According to the COSMOS standard (as of January 2023) more than 33,000 finished products and over 22,000 raw materials are labeled.

The current standard documents as amended can be downloaded here.

The document COSMOS-standard contains the basic requirements for natural and organic cosmetics

The document Technical Guide contains further explanations and notes.

The document Lablelling Guide contains the requirements for the use of the COSMOS signature and the advertisement.

On 01.01.2023, the standard documents of the latest version 4.0 were published. They will apply from 01.06.2023 and are therefore authoritative for all applications for certification made from this date onwards. The documents of the COSMOS standard version 4.0 are therefore also available for download here. Please also note the updated implementation measures which you can download here as well.