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Achieving Organic Certification: COSMOS, NATRUE, and ISO Standards Simplified

Achieving Organic Certification: COSMOS, NATRUE, and ISO Standards Simplified
Language: English
Length: 90 min
Sep 15, 2025 03:00 PM
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Course Description

Confused by overlapping organic certification standards? Struggling with rejections or audit surprises?

This course simplifies the complex world of COSMOS, NATRUE, and ISO 16128 certifications, helping cosmetic professionals avoid delays, prevent documentation errors, and successfully navigate audits. You’ll learn how to ensure ingredient compliance, prepare certification-ready documentation, and steer clear of the most common causes of certification failure, saving both time and cost.


Led by Karen Mann, an expert in cosmetic regulations and certification processes, this session is packed with practical insights and proven strategies to help you succeed in today’s increasingly regulated and competitive market.

  • Understand the critical differences between COSMOS, NATRUE, and ISO 16128 without confusion
  • Learn how to avoid audit failures due to mislabeling, incomplete documentation, or incorrect ingredient sourcing
  • Gain tools and checklists to ensure your product is certification-ready and consumer-trust aligned from day one
Intermediate
Level
Karen LV Mann
Karen LV Mann
Cosmetic Chroma
0 courses

KarenLV MANN PhD is the Founder and Owner of CosmetiChroma, a technical, scientific training and consulting company founded recently in July 2024, created for cosmetic industry professionals and businesses looking to master cosmetics development and global launches with confidence.

Karen has been in the cosmetic industry for 20 years, most recently as Global Head of Regulatory and Quality at Dolce&Gabbana in Milan.  Prior experience included 12 years at L’Oréal in Paris and Global Director of Regulatory at Intercos in Italy.  Other experience included Consumer Advisory, Public Relations, Supply Chain and within client Management, Quality, Scientific Affairs, and Regulatory Research & Development at the Senior Management level.  Equally, Karen has participated in lobbying at Cosmetic Trade Industry Association working groups such as Cosmetics Europe (EU) dealing with China, REACh at CTPA (UK), and the Middle East at FEBEA (France). So far, Karen has held webinars, written training courses on Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, and several articles on her company website.

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Why should you view this course?

If you’ve ever faced a rejected certification application, scrambled to track down supplier documents, or found yourself second-guessing whether your “natural” claim is truly compliant, you’re not alone. Most formulators, regulatory professionals, and brand managers are navigating a maze of changing rules, vague ingredient classifications, and mounting pressure from both consumers and regulators. And with the EU Green Claims Directive and global demand for transparency tightening the noose, relying on guesswork or partial knowledge is no longer an option.

This course exists to take the uncertainty out of organic certification, by attending, you’ll:

  1. Demystify COSMOS, NATRUE, and ISO 16128- Know exactly what each standard expects, how they differ, and which is right for your product and claims.

  2. Prevent costly mistakes before they happen- Understand the real reasons brands fail audits or get rejected, from traceability issues to ingredient misclassification.

  3. Streamline your compliance documentation- Learn what certifiers want to see, how to audit-proof your files, and how to work better with suppliers.

  4. Avoid marketing claim violations- Get clarity on what you can and cannot say on your label to stay compliant and protect your brand.

  5. Stay ahead of evolving expectations - Understand how new regulatory trends (like the EU Green Claims Directive) are impacting natural and organic certification globally.

Who should join this course?

  • Complete the course and (unlock your personalized certificate)– your badge of accomplishment awaits!

  • This course is designed for professionals involved in product development, compliance, and go-to-market strategy within the cosmetics and personal care industry especially those working with natural, organic, or “clean” product positioning.

    • Regulatory Affairs Professionals who need to interpret COSMOS, NATRUE, and ISO 16128 correctly and ensure audit-readiness. 
    • Formulators & R&D Teams who want to design products with certification compliance in mind from the start. 
    • Quality Assurance (QA) Managers responsible for ensuring traceability, documentation accuracy, and label compliance. 
    • Brand Owners, Entrepreneurs & Indie Beauty Founders who want to label products “natural” or “organic” with confidence and credibility. 
  • This course is suitable for intermediate level proficiency
    Intermediate
Questions you will be able to answer after this course:

  1. Can I use ISO 16128 alone to claim my product is “natural” ?

  2. What do I do if a supplier can’t give me full traceability documentation?

  3. Can I say “100% natural” or “chemical-free” if my product is certified?

  4. How do I validate that an ingredient is COSMOS- or NATRUE-compliant?

Course Outline

Introduction to Global Cosmetic Regulations & What Changed in 2024–2025

 

  • Overview of key frameworks: 
  1. EU Cosmetic Regulation (EC No 1223/2009) 
  2. US Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) 
  • What changed in 2024–2025? 
  1. Fragrance allergen labeling (EU) 
  2. Microplastics ban (EU) 
  3. MoCRA deadlines: product listing, facility registration, safety substantiation 
  • Why these updates are critical for formulation, labeling, and market access 

Ingredient Bans, Restrictions & Reformulation Strategies

  • Newly banned/restricted ingredients (Lilial, salicylic acid in oral products, certain CMRs) 
  • Microplastics and formaldehyde-related bans 
  • Ingredient restrictions under MoCRA (e.g., PFAS under review) 
  • Reformulation challenges: 
  1. Timeline pressures 
  2. Sourcing compliant alternatives 
  3. Ingredient data gaps 
  • Tools: ingredient databases (CosIng, ECHA, FDA) 

Formaldehyde Warning – Toxicological & Labeling Compliance

  • New EU threshold for formaldehyde-releasing preservatives (10 ppm) 
  • When a warning label is required and for which preservatives 
  • Product types impacted most (shampoos, lotions, etc.) 
  • Formulation and label strategies to avoid the “contains formaldehyde” warning 

Safety Substantiation & Testing Requirements in EU & US

  • EU Product Information File (PIF) & Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR) 
  • US MoCRA: Safety substantiation, what’s considered “adequate evidence”? 
  • No animal testing? What alternatives are accepted? 
  • Practical tips: what formulators need to gather early in the development cycle 

Labeling, Claims & Marketing Compliance

  • Mandatory labeling elements: differences EU vs. US 
  • Claims under scrutiny: “natural,” “hypoallergenic,” “anti-aging,” “whitening,” “UV protection” 
  • FTC and EU guidance on avoiding misleading or therapeutic claims 
  • Common formulator errors: how to pre-vet claims with regulatory teams 
  • Avoiding greenwashing with substantiated sustainability claims 

Environmental Regulations & Green Compliance

  • EU ban on microplastics in rinse-off and leave-on cosmetics: scope, timelines, exemptions 
  • Eco-labels and standards: 
  1. COSMOS, NATRUE, ISO 16128 – what formulators need to know 
  • Navigating the surge in “green” and “clean” formulation expectations 
  • Sustainability proof points: how to document and communicate them 

Real-World Compliance Strategies & Case Studies

  • Case example: reformulating a sunscreen after UV filter restrictions 
  • Best practices for managing dual-market compliance in product development 
  • How successful brands build internal workflows for compliance 
  • Formulator-ready checklists: formulation, testing, labeling

Future Outlook & What’s on the Regulatory Radar

  • Upcoming regulations under MoCRA (GMPs, fragrance disclosure, allergen transparency) 
  • EU Watchlist: PFAS bans, stricter claims, AI in safety assessment 
  • What formulators can do now to stay ahead: monitoring tools and proactive planning
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30 min Q & As for this course
Interact directly with your tutor and clarify your doubts
  1. 30 mins per session for Questions and Answers
  2. Clarify your doubts.
  3. If your questions are not answered, dont worry you will recieve tutor’s reply via email after sessions.
Achieving Organic Certification: COSMOS, NATRUE, and ISO Standards Simplified
€299
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