Australian Certified Organic Skin Care standards are, arguably, the highest standard in the world. Many Avado customers have asked what the Australian standards are. Here we provide a summary and a link to the main standards document on the Australian Government Website.

Australian Certified Organic Skin Care standards are, arguably, the highest standard in the world. It is one of the few standards which address the welfare of each and every animal involved in the production of certified organic ingredients. As a consequence of the strict Australian standards many Australian companies go overseas to get products certified, avoiding the local requirements.

Many Avado customers have asked what the Australian standards are. While some of this may be dry reading, here are the standards for skin care extracted from the document ‘National Standard for Organic and Bio-dynamic Produce’ (72 page document available at http://www.ofa.org.au/papers/National-Standard-for-Organic-and-Biodynamic-Produce-2008.pdf).

General Principles

• Organic Cosmetic and Skincare manufacture / production should reflect the general principals outlined in the standard.
• Organic Cosmetic and Skincare products should be primarily composed of certified organic raw materials; be minimally processed to preserve the natural properties and not include harm to animals or involve testing on animals.
• Organic Cosmetic and Skincare products should be clearly labelled to provide accurate information to consumers.

Standards

• Ingredients must satisfy the requirements of the Standard.
• Mined minerals may be used as ingredients when they are essential to the nature of the product. These include Montmorillonite and kaolin clays, chalks, sand, salt and pumice.
• Testing on animals at any stage of the production or development of a product is prohibited.
• Preparation and labelling of the product must satisfy the requirements of this Standard.
• The following may be used as emulsifying agents and/or surfactants: Hydrolysis, hydrogenation or esterification or trans-esterification of the following materials:- Fats, oils and waxes – lecithin – lanolin – monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides – protein and lipoproteins, but only where biological, mechanical and / or physical processing methods consistent with this standard are undertaken.
• Sulphonation, ethoxylation and propoxylation are prohibited as processing methods.
• Prohibited ingredients include, but are not limited to the following: Synthetic colouring agents – synthetic fragrances and parfums – ethoxylated ingredients – silicones – paraffin and other petroleum or petroleum derived products.
• Where a preservative is required for the safety and/or stability of a product, only preservatives derived from natural sources are to be used. Use of preservatives

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Tags: certified organic, certified Organic Skin Care, Certified Organic Skin Care Standards, Organic Standards