When choosing essential oils, as with most products, we tend to rely on the labels they carry to identify quality products. But it is not always easy to navigate this profusion of labels, each of which seems more virtuous than the other, especially since we sometimes read contradictory information on the Internet. As is often the case, to choose well, you must understand what the choice of this or that label entails.
What is a label?
First of all, it seemed useful to us to find an official definition of the term “label”.
A label is a collective brand which is materialized by distinctive signs (a name, a logo, etc.) and which can be used by different brands complying with the specifications of the label in question. It aims to ensure and facilitate the recognition of certain product characteristics.
There are different types of labels, public labels and private labels.
- A public label is associated with a regulation, in fact it is recognized by the public authorities. It is controlled by independent certification bodies before being affixed to a product. Example: the AB label.
- A private label is a label associated with a benchmark established by a private organization (association, company, producer group for example). The control rules depend on the framework in question. Among the private labels, we distinguish private labels :
- controlled : just like public labels, control is carried out by an external, independent and, generally, accredited certification body. Accreditation guarantees the reliability of controls. Examples: the COSMOS or Nature & Progrès labels.
- uncontrolled : created by a manufacturer or distributor, they are their sole responsibility. There is no independent external monitoring. Examples: the mentions HEBBD or HECT.
Let us understand clearly, it is not because a label depends on a private organization that it means nothing (and conversely, it is not because another label is “public” that it is a guarantee of quality). To know with certainty what a label is worth, we must look precisely at what it guarantees (its specifications) and who controls it (how it is obtained).
ECOCERT: a control and certification body
Ecocert, this name is not unknown to you; you have in fact seen it on all of our essential oil technical sheets (and certainly elsewhere...). Ecocert is not a label but the control and certification body which can, as its name indicates, certify that the composition of a product after control is in agreement with the label in question.
For example, Ecocert certifies that our oil can benefit from the AB label because it meets the conditions set by the Ministry of Agriculture in charge of this label.
So how does this work in real life?
Mr. After having read the regulations in force, the producer, Mr. If, after inspection, it complies with the specifications specific to the AB label, then it's a win!
La Compagnie des Sens, itself committed to the Ecocert certification body, will then be able to obtain 100% ORGANIC Fine Lavender essential oil and package it in wonderful little bottles!
Good to know...
Ecocert is not the only AB control and certification body in France. Nowadays, 9 certification bodies are approved (i.e. the Ministry of Agriculture has authorized these organizations to control and issue the AB label or other labels and mentions): Ecocert, Agrocert, Certipaq Bio, Bureau Veritas, Certisud, Certis, Bureau Alpes Controles, Qualisud, Biotek Agriculture.
AB: The Organic Agriculture label and its European counterpart
Consuming organic today means adopting responsible consumption for your health but also for the environment around us. It’s Good, It’s Beautiful, It’s ORGANIC!
You all know this ORGANIC label. He roams all the shelves of your supermarket, but who is he exactly?
THE AB label (Organic Agriculture) is a French quality label created in 1985. It is the exclusive property of the French ministry in charge of agriculture, agri-food and forestry. It is this ministry which defines the specifications that must be respected by products wishing to benefit from the AB label. The AB label can be used in France by professionals who wish to do so and who respect the specifications.
These specifications guarantee:
- the absence of GMOs
- the total ban on pesticides and synthetic chemical fertilizers
- a product composition of at least 95% ingredients from organic farming
And l’organic Agriculture it's what ?
It is an agriculture that guarantees a mode of production that respects the environment and animal welfare. This mode of production is notably based on:
- non-use of synthetic chemicals
- non-use of GMOs
- recycling of organic materials
- crop rotation and biological control
Did you know ?
The AB label is officially reserved for food-type products, that is to say which can be ingested. But, not all essential oils are ingestible you tell me? Yes, yes, you have carefully studied all of our technical sheets, I congratulate you!
Indeed, this distinguishes essential oils from common products but in this case the requirements relate to the production and packaging of the product.
Good to know
On a European scale, a logo was created in 2010 respecting the same conditions of use. Both logos still appear on products, the AB logo being better known to consumers, but this aims to be completely replaced by the “European green leaf”.
Finally, we don't just choose with the wave of a magic wand that our product can benefit from the AB label. It is an organization which must control and certify that the product complies with the specifications of the label...
Cosmébio: the cousin of the AB label but for cosmetics
Cosmetics consumers know it well, it is the label Cosmebio.
Cosmébio is an association bringing together natural, ecological and organic cosmetics professionals. Since 2002, this association has worked to promote the development of natural and ecological cosmetics based on products from organic farming and green chemistry. The Cosmébio label has points in common with the AB label. However, Cosmébio is only used in the cosmetics field, as its name indicates...
Since January 1, 2017, the Cosmébio association, accompanied by four other members, have set up and made compulsory the European COSMOS standard (Cosmetic Organic Standard) which in fact aims at the international level.
The COSMOS standard is committed to helping consumers identify organic cosmetics that meet the same requirements, from one country to another.
To carry this Cosmébio label with or without the mention COSMOS NATURAL or COSMOS ORGANIC, the product formula must respect a series of criteria specific to the standard and the label in question.
For example, to affix the Cosmébio COSMOS ORGANIC label, the criteria to be respected by the product are as follows:
- at least 95% natural ingredients or of natural origin
- at least 95% of ingredients that can be organic must come from organic farming
- in total at least 20% of all ingredients must come from organic farming and no longer 10% as was the case before the creation of COSMOS for the Cosmébio label alone
- another new feature brought by COSMOS, all ingredients of natural origin used must be biodegradable.
This COSMOS standard therefore has a promising future, it aims to reach nearly 85% of organic certified cosmetics in the world.
Did you know ?THE foreign labels known as BDIH in Germany, Soil Association in England or even ICEA in Italy better watch out because soon, just like Cosmebio, they will be replaced by the term COSMOS. You will no longer be lost when traveling abroad!
Nature & Progrès: mention of respect for our health and the earth
- have been obtained by steam distillation or mechanical expression under well-defined steam, temperature, pressure and other conditions
- have been packaged in glass or stainless steel, the caps must be tight and screwed and the droppers must be made of glass or inert plastic materials.
- must not have been cut and diluted.
HEBBD, HECT… Private label or commercial brand?
In the farandole of labels adapted to essential oils, we also find so-called private labels since they were created by independent organizations. They are rather called “brand” or “mention” and do not benefit from external control to be certified.
Among these mentions, we find theHEBBD for Botanically and Biochemically Defined Essential Oil. This is a label created by a company producing and selling essential oils in order to stand out from the competition.
This mention is supposed to guarantee:
- the exact botanical species of the plant used to obtain the essential oil.
- the producing organ of the plant clearly mentioned
- the chemotype of the plant controlled by gas chromatography coupled with a clearly indicated mass spectrometer
- two possible production methods: steam distillation or cold pressing
- an undiluted and unrectified essential oil (100% pure and natural).
We also find an equivalent, theHECT for Chemotyped Essential Oils. This mention is also a guarantee of the quality of essential oils on a biochemical and botanical level.
However, these two labels have serious problems:
- No public specifications are available: how can we know the precise quality guarantee they provide?
- As mentioned, they are not certified by any external control: a seller who puts forward these "labels" will not be controlled, will not be held to a specific quality process. Everything therefore depends on his good faith.
- And finally, these labels all highlight the fact that we know precisely the distilled plant, but in no case that the essential oil that we have obtained is optimal to guarantee good therapeutic effectiveness. To draw a parallel, we know the variety of grapes used to make wine, but that in no way guarantees that the wine is good or bad.
To the Company of the Senses we guarantee to respect all of these criteria, but:
- systematically;
- by excluding batches of essential oils which will not have the desired effectiveness due to poor biochemical composition, and by excluding chemotypes which diverge from the properties commonly expected in aromatherapy;
- and above all we communicate publicly and for each batch the results of our analyses. Our external control body is you, thanks to total transparency :-)
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Bibliography
Work : de la Charie, T. (2019). Treat yourself with essential oils. Why and how does it work? Editions du Rocher.
About these tips
This aromatherapy article was written by Théophane de la Charie, author of the book “Treat yourself with essential oils”, accompanied by a multidisciplinary team made up of pharmacists, biochemists and agronomists.
La Compagnie des Sens and its teams do not encourage self-medication. The information and advice provided comes from a reference bibliographic database (books, scientific publications, etc.). They are given for information purposes, or to suggest avenues for reflection: they should in no case replace a diagnosis, consultation or medical follow-up, and cannot engage the liability of the Compagnie des Sens.