BDIH The Seal of Approval You Can Trust

Hand on your heart, do you really know exactly what goes into all those jars, pots and tubes of cosmetics ?

At a glance a list of ingredients explains it all - and may also protect you. All ingredients used in cosmetic products must be listed on the packaging, together with their designation according to the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients), however, this is not always the case. Ingredients are always listed by weight, from the largest to the smallest: the substance found in the largest quantity in the product in question is listed first, whilst the ingredient found in the smallest quantity in the product is listed last. This helps us to recognise potential allergy triggers and thus only buy products which will be truly beneficial.

Using certified natural cosmetics means playing it safe; all the ingredients used are clearly defined by a directive. The raw materials are, wherever possible, obtained from controlled biological cultivation or controlled biological wild collection. The inclusion of synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances, ethoxylated raw materials, silicon, paraffin and other mineral oil derivatives is deliberately avoided. cosmetic products are continuously monitored to ensure that they adhere to the guidelines - and are awarded a seal of approval to prove it. BDIH - the seal of 100% Certified Natural Cosmetics.

Current minimum requirements to receive the BDIH seal of approval are as follows:

Botanical Ingredients

Use of botanical ingredients whenever possible is encouraged. Plants should be grown organically or wild-harvested, although consideration is given for alternatives based on quality and availability.

Animal Protection and Animal Testing

Neither in the production nor in product development is testing on animals to be carried out, nor outsourced to another company. Ingredients not on the market before 1/1/98 may only be used if they were not tested on animals. Ingredients already on the market that were tested on animals after 1/1/98 are excluded even if they were carried out by a third party, by contract, with permission of the contracting buying agent or by anyone legally or contractually connected with them. The use of animal by-products from vertebrates (i.e. spermaceti, tortoise oil, mink oil, marmot oil, animal fats, animal collagen or fresh cells) is not allowed.

Mineral Ingredients

The use of inorganic salts (i.e., magnesium sulfate) and mineral ingredients (i.e., sodium chloride) is generally allowed.

Restricted Ingredients

Emulsifying agents and surfactants may be used if they are obtained by the hydrolysis, hydrogenation, esterification, or trans-esterification of the following materials: fats, oils and waxes; lecithin, lanolin, monosaccharides, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides; proteins and lipoproteins.

Unacceptable Ingredients

Synthetic coloring agents; synthetic fragrances, ethoxylated ingredients; silicones; paraffin and other petroleum products. The criterion for permitted fragrances is the ISO Norm 9235.

Preservatives

Certain preservatives identical to those found in nature are allowed along with natural preservation systems for the safety and stability of the product. These include: benzoic acid, its salts and ethyl esters; salicylic acid and its salts; ascorbic acid and its salts; benzyl alcohol.

Irradiation

Sterilization of natural ingredients and their cosmetic end products through radioactive treatment is not allowed.

Independent laboratory certification

The independent testing institute Eco-control in Osterode, Germany evaluates the compliance of the above criteria

Additional points

full ingredient disclosure