trial set

COSMOS stands for "Cosmetic Organic and Natural Standard" and defines the criteria that companies must meet to ensure that their products are genuine organic or natural cosmetics . The COSMOS standard has been developed at European and international level by BDIH (Germany), COSMEBIO & ECOCERT (France), ICEA (Italy) and SOIL ASSOCIATION (UK), the founders of the COSMOS standard AISBL, an international non-profit registered in Belgium association, developed.

The COSMOS standard focuses on:
✓ Use of environmentally friendly and non-hazardous manufacturing and production processes
✓ Responsible use of natural resources
✓ Promoting biodiversity
✓ No petrochemical ingredients (except for approved preservatives): parabens, phenoxyethanol, synthetic fragrances and dyes
✓ No genetically modified organisms
✓ No animal testing
✓ Recyclable or biodegradable packaging

The set of rules is continuously developed and we as a company as well as the production facility in which our products are manufactured and bottled are audited and checked annually .

The certification is carried out by an authorized certification body. We are certified by Ecocert Greenlife . This can be recognized by the respective label. Each product, including its recipe, raw materials, packaging materials and labels, has been individually tested and certified . Our order, storage and returns processes as well as our product management and communication documents were also examined in an audit. In addition to the audit in our Hamburg office, the production site was also visited to ensure that we meet all requirements. From now on, Ecocert will check us annually whether we continue to comply with the standard.

We are now gradually having our products certified according to the COSMOS standard. Our next goal is to have our skincare and waterless range certified. Both product lines already meet the criteria , but we will also have to renew our packaging in the course of certification. Therefore, we first try to use up products and packaging materials that have already been produced as much as possible.

Our new bottles are made from recycled HDPE . HDPE (or PE-HD) is a subspecies of the plastic polyethylene, which is also called “high-density polythene” due to its high density. We no longer use new HDPE for our bottles, but old plastic . For this purpose, old plastic packaging from the yellow sack is recycled. Therefore, our material is also called PCR, or "post-consumer recyclate".

Our material supplier buys discarded HDPE material from European sources. In the Netherlands it is sorted by color and material and glue, printing ink and other substances are removed. The plastic is then crushed into fine granules. Finally, our bottles are made from this granulate in Germany.

As different colors are mixed in the recycling process, the appearance of the recycled material differs from that of virgin plastic. Therefore, our new bottle has a slightly different color scheme and is less translucent. So every bottle is unique .

Unfortunately, this is currently not the case. Here we regularly and continuously check alternatives. The aim is to find a pump made of recyclable monomaterials or ideally also made of PCR, which is suitable for our care products.

Currently, all liquid body and hair care products in 200ml and 500ml sizes that are also certified according to the COSMOS standard have the PCR bottle.

For all other products, we are currently examining the implementation and are still looking for suitable PCR solutions or other more sustainable alternatives.

In 2019, 6.28 million tons of plastic waste were generated in Germany. About 85.2% of this waste was created after the plastics had been used (so-called post-consumer waste). According to the Federal Environment Agency, only around 38% of this post-consumer waste was recycled as a material, e.g. in the form of recyclate.*

In order for more and more plastics to be recycled and processed into new products or packaging in the future, various requirements must be met. For example, a functioning sorting and recycling infrastructure must be available in the respective country. In addition, the packaging itself must be recognized and correctly analyzed by the sorting system. As a brand, we can have the greatest influence on the latter by considering recyclability when designing the packaging and selecting the materials. We are very aware of this responsibility.

Therefore, we try to use packaging made of only one type of plastic, so-called monomaterials , if possible. Most of the layers of plastic that are firmly connected to one another cannot be clearly identified during waste sorting and can no longer be separated later. We have succeeded in using pure mono-materials in all packaging, except for our pumps and tubes (toothpaste and lip balm). We are already working on a new solution here.

Dark packs with black, carbon black-based dyes are also not recognized correctly during sorting. That's why we deliberately use light or transparent packaging or only use soot-free colors, as with our soap box. Full-sleeve labeling can present another problem. With fully automatic waste sorting, the sorting system only recognizes the outer material of the packaging and not the material underneath. Labeling can therefore lead to incorrect sorting. We therefore print our bottles directly and do without the label . This saves material, promotes recognizability in the sorting and ensures that there is no mix of materials. Of course, the most effective way is to produce as little waste as possible. Therefore, we design our packaging as minimalistic as possible and avoid unnecessary secondary packaging. Our bottles and skincare jars are also refillable and reusable .

*Source: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/RESOURCES-Waste/recycling-entsorgung-selected-waste-types/plastic-waste#high-recycling-quota-

You can use and refill our pump dispensers over and over again . Our refill products save up to 79% plastic compared to buying a new 500ml bottle. In our shop you will find various refill options .

When disposing of our refill canisters, you should make sure to unscrew the lid or the pump. You can finally dispose of the individual parts in the yellow sack or the recycling bin. This is the only way that the various materials can be sorted correctly and fed into the appropriate recycling path.

If you do have to dispose of the bottle, then make sure that the pump and bottle are separated. Both parts, like the refill bags and the canisters, can be disposed of in the yellow bag or the recycling bin.

In the case of liquid cosmetics, it is particularly important that the packaging forms a barrier where neither the product can escape through the packaging nor particles from the environment can diffuse into the product. The packaging prevents the product content from becoming contaminated, losing its scent or changing its consistency. This protective function is primarily provided by the materials plastic, aluminum or glass.

The advantages of glass are, of course, that it can be recycled without any loss of quality. However, due to its high weight, glass requires more energy for transport than is required for lighter plastic packaging, for example. We deliberately chose the plastic HDPE because it is more shatterproof than glass and is also considered to be easily and repeatedly recyclable . In the bathroom in particular, there is a very high risk of glass containers breaking and causing injuries.

Bio-plastics include bio-based plastics made from e.g. corn or sugar cane, as well as biodegradable plastics. Both types are disposed of in the yellow sack. Unfortunately, there is currently no recycling path for biodegradable plastics, so they are sorted out and energetically recycled. They are also considered to be less stable and more susceptible to contamination. Bio-based plastics are usually not 100% bio-based and, according to the Federal Environment Agency, do not have a better ecological balance. In addition, they are only recycled if their chemical structure is similar to that of fossil plastics.

That's why we decided to stick with plastic bottles and switch to recycled HDPE . At the same time, we will monitor current developments and new technologies.