B Corp, Leaping Bunny, COSMOS & More Ethical Beauty Labels To Look Out For

By Charlie Colville

8 months ago

The labels and logos to search for on the back of your bottles


Getting label fatigue when it comes to shopping for your beauty essentials? Here’s our cheat sheet to spotting ethical beauty labels (and what they actually mean).

The Country & Town House Responsible Buyers’ Guide

Ethical Beauty Labels To Know Now

B Corp

Concern: People & Planet

If a brand is certified B Corp, it means it has been verified by B Lab so that it meets a high set of standards covering social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. There are over 6,800 B Corps around the world, with the joint goal of using business as a force for good. You can find out more about the B Corp process with our guide here.

Find out more: bcorporation.net

 

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Leaping Bunny (Cruelty Free International)

Concern: Animal Cruelty

As Cruelty Free International notes, ‘The Leaping Bunny is the only globally recognised cruelty free programme for cosmetics, personal care and household cleaning products.’ While Leaping Bunny certifies US and Canadian companies, Cruelty Free International certifies countries outside of these areas and is based in the UK. Read up on our guide to animal testing in the beauty industry here.

Find out more: leapingbunny.org

COSMOS

Concern: Organic & Natural Products

COSMOS, known fully as the COSMetic Organic and Natural Standard, is a globally recognised certification for products that meet minimum industry requirements to be considered organic or natural. These two certifications, COSMOS Organic and COSMOS Natural, are backed by five European organisations (who were also responsible for setting the cosmetics standards within the certifications): BDIH, Cosmebio, Ecocert Greenlife SAS, ICEA and the Soil Association. In the UK, you can look out for products labelled with the COSMOS or Soil Association logos.

Find out more: cosmos-standard.org

Vegan Trademark

Concern: Vegan Products

There are quite a few certifying bodies when it comes to vegan products, but one of the most trusted is the Vegan Society which has awarded over 65,000 products with the Vegan Trademark. This internationally recognised certification has been active since 1990, and covers cosmetics, clothing, food, drink, household items and more.

Find out more: vegansociety.com

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

Concern: Materials Sourced From Forests

When a product is FSC certified, it means that materials used to create it – typically the packaging – are derived from forests that are managed by the FSC’s global forest management system, which focuses on preserving biological diversity while benefiting the lives of local people and workers.

Find out more: fsc.org

Featured image: Maud Simon, Unsplash