NCS – NATURAL COSMETICS STANDARDS
The natural cosmetics standard for people, animals and the environment
Our skin is our connection to the environment and needs natural care. The Natural Cosmetics Standard (NCS) certifies sustainable natural cosmetics that benefit people, animals and the environment.
NCS-certified products meet high quality standards with natural, often organic ingredients. The seal enables manufacturers to label the natural formulation of their products and consumers to recognize them.
Independent certification offers added value in communication and is more cost-effective than association-based alternatives.
What NCS offers
Natural cosmetics with the highest quality standards
NCS (Natural Cosmetic Standard) is a certification seal for natural cosmetics. It identifies cosmetic products that use natural ingredients and are manufactured in an environmentally friendly way.
The NCS seal guarantees that certified cosmetic products:
- are free from microplastics, genetic engineering, parabens, silicones, PEGs and phthalates.
- Contains only natural fragrances and plant extractants
- Use certified palm oil
- Offered in environmentally friendly packaging
- Produced without radioactive irradiation
NCS offers consumers a reliable guide to buying genuine natural cosmetics that take both skin care and environmental protection into account.
Standards
Claims of the NCS seal
NCS
- Natural cosmetics
NCS - vegan
- Natural cosmetics
- vegan natural cosmetics
NCS - organic quality
- Natural cosmetics
- Organic natural cosmetics (at least 95% organic raw materials)
NCS - vegan & organic quality
- Natural cosmetics
- Organic natural cosmetics (at least 95% organic raw materials)
- vegan natural cosmetics
- vegan organic natural cosmetics
The company
Your advantages of the NCS seal
The NCS quality seal identifies certified natural cosmetics and applies strict criteria that are set out in the standard. This condensed marketing, i.e. the bundling of the diverse requirements in one seal, offers you as a manufacturer the following advantages:
Certification based on strict criteria
Rated as very good by "Portal Labelonline"
Transparency
Independently tested
Green claims compliant
4 Award options
Costs
Costs of certification
If you decide to obtain certification, costs will be incurred at two different locations: with us as the standard-setting body and with the certification body. For products manufactured in Europe or according to European standards, our basic fee is EUR 500 net. This includes the license fee for the first three products. From the fourth product onwards, the license fee is EUR 105 net per product, brand, and year. In addition, a one-time setup fee is charged in the first year.
These fees are incurred for each product and brand you wish to certify. It is important to note that these costs are incurred annually to maintain the validity of the certification.
The costs at the certification body are more flexible and are calculated according to the actual time required. The duration of the inspection can vary considerably depending on the type and complexity of the product to be certified.
In order to obtain an exact cost estimate, we recommend that you contact the certification body directly and request an individual quote. This will enable you to calculate the costs precisely and include them in your budget planning.
Basic fee and license fee from the 4th product onwards
Basic fee per year including license fee for the first 3 products: €500
From the 4th product onwards: €105 per product
Setup fee in the first year
Billing by time
(with the certification body)
The duration of the review varies depending on the type of product.
Raw materials and their manufacturing processes
Scope of the standard
The qualities of the ingredients of natural cosmetics are regulated in the NCS. There is no specification regarding the percentage composition in a product.
All further details can be found in the NCS standard.
Certification bodies
Recognized certification bodies
Certification bodies that wish to certify companies according to the CSE standard must meet defined, standardized requirements. You can find information on the certification process here.
You are a certification body, work in accordance with ISO 17065, are accredited for the EU Eco Regulation in accordance with ISO 17065 and are interested in recognition for CSE certification? Then get in touch with us.
Brands & Company
NCS-certified companies
The following committed companies are already certified and use the CSE certification to make their outstanding pioneering achievements in sustainable business visible and thus clearly position themselves.
Certification process
Certification process
Contacting and concluding a contract with GfaW and the certification body
Registration of the products with the certification body
Registration with the documents required for product evaluation (when a product is registered for the first time, all data relevant for certification is recorded)
Checking the raw materials used for compliance with standards
Inspection of the products for conformity with the standard by the certification body
Receipt of the certificate
Annual on-site audits
On-site audits by the inspection body to check and ensure compliance with the criteria in your company
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Please note
The prerequisite for the evaluation of the products is all information about the raw materials described in the criteria of the standard. The positive list of INCIs, which has been assessed as compliant by the certification body, is merely a guide.
It is therefore not guaranteed that your raw materials comply with the standard just because they contain the INCIs listed on the positive list!
In the event of deviations from the NCP standard, a period of time is granted to rectify these, depending on the severity. This can be between 4 and 12 months. If the deviations have not been rectified by the end of this period, conformity with the NCP no longer exists, the certificate becomes invalid and the products may no longer be labeled with the seal. The certification bodies approved by the NCP are accredited for the EU Organic Regulation in accordance with ISO 17065 and have many years of experience in the certification of ethically oriented standards in the industry.
Quick check
With this quick check, you can quickly check whether your company's natural cosmetics products meet the requirements for the seal.
Further information
Find out more details about the requirements, effort and costs of NCS certification. Contact us if you are interested in NCS!
Arrange a consultation appointment
Do you have any questions about sustainability seals and certification? Ask for a free consultation!