Organic Life – Druide® Canada

31 Aug

The Ecocert & COSMOS ORGANIC Certification: What is it and why is it important?

Post by: Blog

Categories: Organic Life

For the health of our skin, the bees and the planet!

Ecocert is an independent, accredited third party organization that audits, inspects, and certifies all aspects of organic farming regulations. Known as the world’s leading specialist in the certification of sustainable organic practices, it is recognized in over 130 countries.

The COSMOS-standard is a consumer guarantee for organic and natural cosmetics that you can trust. The COSMOS-standard defines the criteria that companies must meet to ensure consumers that their products are genuine organic or natural cosmetics produced to the highest feasible sustainability practices. The COSMOS-standard is managed by a not-for-profit, international and independent association – the Brussels based COSMOS-standard AISBL. The founding members (BDIH – Germany, Cosmebio – France, Ecocert – France, ICEA – Italy and the Soil Association – UK) continue to bring their combined expertise to the continuous development and management of the COSMOS-standard.

As regulators, with nearly 30 years of experience, Ecocert is one of the largest certification establishments in the world ensuring the development of green chemistry using renewable resources.

Druide Laboratories was the first laboratory in North America to be Ecocert certified.

By choosing Ecocert and COSMOS certified products you will be:

1. Helping to save our pollinators.

Genetically Modified Organism crops, pesticides and herbicide are directly linked to colony collapse of bees so by choosing more organic options we can move away from toxic chemicals that are destroying precious flora and fauna. GMOs and pesticides found in our food are known to affect our digestion and microbiome among other side effects.

2. Using guaranteed organic formulas.

3^rd Party organic certification mean no funny business allowed, no green washing or organic fraud. A beauty care product can only be COSMOS ORGANIC certified if it contains a minimum of 95% organic certified ingredients.

3. Using therapeutic and potent ingredients.

Organically grown crops are known to taste better, to be more nutritionally dense and at the same time supports regenerative farming practices that are needed more than ever. Soft natural fragrances from therapeutic essential oils are used to enhance each formula and are safe for the whole family.

4. Encouraging and supporting sustainability, biodiversity and ethically sourced ingredients.

Fair trade practices help to build communities with a long term commitment.

5. Protecting our water ways by using biodegradable formulas that are gentle on the environment.

6. Avoid controversial ingredients

such as parabens, phenoxyethanol, perfumes and synthetic coloring as there are prohibited in Ecocert formulas.

All ingredients are listed using INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients)
This is a guarantee that the ingredients listed have been confirmed and are correctly listed from the highest to lowest concentration. The percentage of Certified organic ingredients within that formula are also listed. The final formulas are verified to ensure the truth in our labeling and in our advertising.

Feel good and do good! Skin care that is good for you and the planet!

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09 Nov

ECOCERT® Label and Certification

Post by: admin

Categories: Organic Life, The Laboratory

Tags: best body certification druide ecocert essential oils for life label organic products skin soul top

ECOCERT® is an independent and accredited organization for the certification and control of ecological and biological products whether for food or cosmetics or whether the products come from organic farming as a result of fair trade or from sustainable development. ECOCERT® also certifies organic textiles as well as some carbon compensation projects through VCS (Verified Carbon Standard) and Gold Standard. It should be known that the certification of products from organic farming alone accounts for 75% of ECOCERT® turnover in the world.

The rigor of ECOCERT® has earned them the trust and confidence of consumers, and established for them that the ECOCERT® label is a guarantee for the quality of their product(s).

In addition, ECOCERT® controls all the factors involved in the production chain of ecological or organic products whether at the level of production itself or at the marketing level of the ecological and biological products (including labeling).

Created in 1991, ECOCERT® was a result of an associative movement of several European countries that wished to harmonize the regulation of organic products and in particular cosmetic products. However, it was only in 2002 that ECOCERT® created the very first reference for organic cosmetics. This repository is based on 3 fundamental principles:

The use of ingredients from renewable sources and processed by environmentally friendly processes.

ECOCERT® therefore verfies: The absence of GMOs and chemical ingredients such as parabens, alcohol, sulphates such as SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate,) as well as all other forms of sulphates, silicones (such as dimethicone), perfumes and synthetic dyes, ingredients derived from animals (except those that are naturally produced by them, such as milk, honey and beeswax), endocrine disruptors, mineral oil, preservatives such as phenoxyethanol and methylisothiazolinone (MIT), these last two ingredients being present in many face and body care products on the market. Also prohibited are nanoparticles, propylene glycol, quaternium and finally, coaltar. In addition, cosmetic ingredients (unless legally required) and cosmetic products should not be tested on animals.

The biodegradable or recyclable nature of packaging, which involves the use of recyclable materials such as PolyEthylene High Density (HDPE) or PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET).

ECOCERT certifies both ecological formulas and biological formulas, the latter being more restrictive.

In any case, in an ecological formula as in an organic formula, a single minimum threshold of 95% of natural ingredients and a source of organic farming must be achieved in order to obtain certification. Then certain specifications must be respected depending on whether the formula is ecological or biological.

To obtain an Eco-Label:

50% or more of the vegetable ingredients of the formula must come from organic farming
5% of the total ingredients must come from organic farming

To obtain a biological label:

95% or more of the vegetable ingredients of the formula must come from organic farming
10% of the total ingredients must be from organic farming

Manufacturing companies such as distributors and subcontractors are regularly audited.

Manufacturing companies undergo 2 audits per year for accreditation then 1 to 2 audits per year according to the risk analysis during the renewal. For distributors and subcontractors, these are audited once a year.

In Canada, ECOCERT® activities began in Quebec in 1995 with GarantieBio, which eventually joined forces with ECOCERT® in 1997 to form ECOCERT® Canada.

ECOCERT® is today the most rigorous certification process with the highest requirements; it is also the most recognized and most widespread certification on the planet; as a result, ECOCERT® currently has 23 subsidiaries in 80 countries around the world.

Since January 1, 2017, ECOCERT® has become COSMOS (acronym for Cosmetics Organic Standard) for cosmetic products. Once again, 5 European agencies including ECOCERT® Greenlife SAS and Cosmebio for France, BDIH for Germany, ICEA for Italy and Soil Association in England have come together to form a non-profit association, with the aim of defining common minimum requirements to harmonize the certification rules for organic and natural cosmetics and finally to lobby the institutions to defend the sector.

The COSMOS standard reflect those established by ECOCERT® however, some modifications have been made including:

Promoting the use of products from organic farming and having respect for biodiversity.
The responsible use of natural resources and a respect for the environment.
The use of clean manufacturing processes that respect human health and the environment.
The integration and development of the concept of Green Chemistry or Ecological Chemistry. This last point consists of providing for the implementation of principles, to reduce and eliminate the use or generation of substances which are harmful to the environment, by new processes and “clean” chemical reactions, that is to say, that are respectful of the environment. A prime example is the preparation of plant extracts by the Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) technique, the best known of which is supercritical CO2 extraction.

The COSMOS standard, like that of ECOCERT, covers all aspects of the supply, manufacture, marketing and control of cosmetic products.

The main change to the COSMOS standard concerns certain certified organic cosmetics; in effect, the minimum total of ingredients that must come from organic farming, has gone from 10 to 20% of all products, with the exception of rinsing products (such as shampoos, shower gels and liquid soaps) and lotions and products containing at least 80% of minerals or ingredients of mineral origin, for which at least 10% of the total product must be organic.

08 Nov

10 Reasons To Go Organic

Post by: admin

Categories: Organic Life

Tags: best body cosmos druide ecocert health healthy life organic organics plants products soul

Organic products meet stringent national standards. The “Organic Canada” label assures the public that products have been grown and handled using strict methods and guidelines.
Reduction of chemicals! Many herbicides and insecticides commonly used in agriculture have been shown to be endocrine disruptors, carcinogens or have a negative effect on a child’s development. The choice of certified organic products is a way to reduce exposure to chemical residues. This is even more true with synthetic ingredients found in conventional cosmetics.
Organic farms take water seriously. Organic farmers must manage their land and lives around bodies of water very carefully and are subject to annual inspections. The absence of synthetic fertilizers and persistent toxic chemicals makes organic agriculture more conducive to protecting our precious water supplies.
Organic farmers work in harmony with nature. Organic farming contributes to the formation of healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, both on and around organic farms and more importantly for promoting sustainability and ecological balance.
Biological methods reduce pollution and energy loss. More energy is needed to produce synthetic fertilizers from fossil fuels than to grow and harvest crops or transport food. Canadian studies show that organic farming practices can use as little as half of the energy required for other farming methods and help sequester carbon back into the soil.
Protecting the health of farmers and children. Farmers exposed to pesticides are much more likely to suffer from cancer than non-farmers or organic farmers. Children are more exposed than adults when they ingest pesticide residues in food. The choice of organic products reduces the exposure for children and farmers.
Organic Farmers Contribute to Healthy Soil. Soil is the very foundation of the food chain. Organic agriculture focuses on sustainable practices that promote healthy soil microbiology and prevent erosion leaving fertile soil that will feed future generations.
Organic farming is good for rural Canada. The Census for Agriculture has shown that organic farming families, on average, are more successful in harvesting than the typical Canadian farm and on average employ more people.
Organic producers strive to preserve genetic diversity. The loss of a wide variety of species (biodiversity) is one of the most important concerns of our time. Fortunately, for decades, many organic farmers have been collecting and preserving seeds and cultivating heritage varieties and breeding rare livestock breeds.
Organic is the only standard for non-genetically modified products enforced by the Government of Canada. Organic standards prohibit the use of GMOs in seeds, feed and feed ingredients as well as processed organic products. If you are concerned about GMOs, think before you eat: think Organic Canada!

The ECOCERT®, COSMÉBIO and COSMOS standards that we follow in body care and cosmetics at Druide® Laboratories go even further than in agriculture, since all transformation processes are evaluated, as well as, all added ingredients, such as natural preservatives or natural stabilizers. No petroleum products are allowed and there is no testing on animals for ingredients or finished products. Two annual audits are done on-site and with all our suppliers for ingredients and packaging.