The Green Woman was delighted to have received our organic certification with the Soil Association COSMOS Beauty and Wellbeing scheme in October 2021.

That means The Green Woman company is certified organic, along with our Fit Pit natural deodorant, Green Cream natural moisturiser and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil products. We want to share with you the journey we made to get certified and what it means.

The law for cosmetics is much less stringent than for food. Uncertified beauty and wellbeing brands can have as little as 1% organic ingredients, but still claim to be ’organic’.

Since our launch in 2013 we have not only met organic ingredient standards, but gone beyond them by being 100% natural, plastic free, and fully recyclable (and reusable). We wanted the recognition of certification to show customers just how different we are from other companies. We don’t just talk-the-talk, it is who we are, and the world we want to live in.

“Working with nature rather than against it, Soil Association Certification believes in organic alternatives. We make it simpler for you to choose organic formulations that are just as effective without any ugly compromises.” Soil Association

What does COSMOS Organic Certification guarantee?

It shows that we meet much higher standards. A COSMOS certified organic beauty product contains ingredients that have been grown on organic farms. Organic is a way of farming that works with nature, delivering benefits for wildlife, society and the natural world. Certified organic farmers and businesses work to a strict set of standards, to ensure that their ingredients and products sustain the health of:

• Wildlife and nature

• Animals

• Soils

• People

When you buy certified organic products, you can be sure that the ingredients have been grown in a way that works with nature, not against it.

A certified organic product also means:

NO TO

• Animal testing

• GM ingredients

• Controversial chemicals

• Parabens and Phthalates

• Synthetic colours, dyes or fragrances

YES TO

• Sustainably sourced organic ingredients

• Natural colours and fragrances

• Transparent manufacturing processes

• Biodegradable ingredients

• Minimal packaging with maximum recycled content

• Protecting wildlife and biodiversity

• Annual Soil Association audits

• Clear labelling and descriptions

• Detailed record keeping and full traceability

• 
  

The Green Woman also says NO to plastic and synthetic preservatives, and YES to choosing Fair Trade and donating 10% of our profit to climate action.

The journey to certification

It can be time-consuming to get certified and the fees are considerable, so that can put companies off. While we have met the ingredients standard for years, completing the certification process was still a lot of work.

Every ingredient had to be individually approved and certificates provided. Every cleaning product we use is approved and we keep records of them. Each recipe, manufacturing process, and label for every individual product is assessed and approved. For us, this meant doing this 21 times, once for every product!

We feel very proud to have completed the journey to get organically certified. Of the thousands of beauty products that claim to be organic, few are organically certified, and we hope it helps us stand out, and show what we believe in.