The path to a natural and sustainable product is long, but it's worth it. Natural, clean, green, sustainable – they all have one thing in common: quality, ambition, trust, and responsibility .
NO BAD STUFF in UND GRETEL
Have you ever taken a look at the ingredients of well-known conventional makeup brands? If you translate the cryptic Latin or English words with an app like Codecheck, you might be shocked. Silicones, parabens, microplastics, harsh surfactants, mineral oils, and nanoparticles – all these questionable ingredients shouldn't actually be found in the products we apply to our skin and lips!
Purely natural ingredients are part of UND GRETEL's DNA. Since its founding, the company's motto has been "NO BAD STUFF." Natural cosmetics that perform.
We say
- NO to microplastics and nanoparticles
- NO to silicones and PEGs
- NO to parabens and mineral oils
- NO to synthetic fragrances and dyes
- NO to animal testing
- NO to BAD STUFF
Your NO BAD STUFF guarantee is our certification standard. You can rest assured that all UND GRETEL products are developed and produced according to BDIH & COSMOS standards. But what do BDIH or COSMOS mean? And what criteria must be met to receive these certifications? Here's transparency:
The BDIH and COSMOS criteria at a glance
Criterion 1: Purely natural raw materials
The path to a purely natural and sustainable product begins with the choice of raw materials. These must primarily be plant-based and sourced from certified and organic raw materials. In addition to purely plant-based raw materials, mineral raw materials such as magnesium sulfate are also used.
Organic-synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances, petroleum, microplastics, paraffins and other petroleum products are not permitted in certified natural cosmetics and you will therefore never find them in our products.
Criterion 2: 'No' to animal testing
The EU Cosmetics Regulation prohibits animal testing for cosmetics in the EU . According to this regulation, cosmetics tested on animals should no longer be allowed in the EU. Unfortunately, animal testing in the cosmetics sector is not yet a thing of the past: Due to the patchy implementation of the EU Cosmetics Regulation, the EU Chemicals Agency continues to regularly require animal testing for ingredients that are also contained in conventional cosmetics.
You can be assured, whether in the raw material production process, during development, or during testing of the final product – our certified natural cosmetics are NEVER tested on animals. We test on ourselves, friends, and occasionally on celebrities – but never on animals!
Criterion 3: Magic of Making
Natural cosmetics are produced using processes that are also found in nature. These include extraction with water or vegetable alcohol, the use of carbon dioxide, vegetable fats, and oils.
In addition, substances made from purely natural ingredients are used, which are obtained through processes such as reduction, oxidation, hydrolysis: for example, cellulose, proteins, polysaccharides or vitamins.
Criterion 4: Packaging
We value the eye, so we put a lot of effort into our design. Our packaging is not only beautiful, but also as sustainable as possible.
We manufacture our products in an environmentally friendly and resource-saving manner, making them as ecologically degradable and compatible as possible.
We also use recyclable materials such as FSC-certified paper for our packaging. In addition to meeting the BDIH and COSMOS standards , all our products are climate-neutral . If you'd like to learn more, you can do so here .
ALL SEALS AT A GLANCE – Let's break it down:
The BDIH certification
The BDIH seal identifies genuine, controlled natural cosmetics. It's essentially the seal for NO BAD STUFF. BDIH stands for the Federal Association of German Industrial and Trade Companies (Bundesverband deutscher Industrie- und Handelsunternehmen)—this association developed the seal in 2001 to identify controlled natural cosmetics. More specifically, the BDIH certification is a test mark for controlled natural cosmetics and is based on ecological, health, and social aspects. The criteria go far beyond the legal requirements.
For example, plant-based raw materials should predominantly come from organic farming. Animal testing is also prohibited – both in the production, development, and testing of the final products. Synthetic dyes and fragrances, silicones, paraffins, and other petroleum products are also prohibited. Raw materials from dead vertebrates, which are frequently used in conventional cosmetics, such as collagen from bones and cartilage, and from animal fats, are also prohibited.
The BDIH certification not only sets a standard for the raw materials used, but also provides clear specifications for the manufacturing processes and the final end products.
The COSMOS standard
The COSMOS standard also defines the criteria that companies must meet to assure consumers that their products are genuine organic or natural cosmetics produced according to the highest possible sustainability practices. The difference from the BDIH certification: This standard combines several European standards and is awarded in around 60 countries.
The COSMOS certification was introduced in 2010 with the aim of having a unified standard and fewer different and therefore confusing certification bases.
It is administered by a non-profit association formed by five certification organizations: BDIH (Germany), Cosmebio (France), Ecocert (France), ICEA (Italy), and Soil Association (UK). Since 2017, new products have been tested exclusively according to this new standard.
COSMOS NATURAL stands for products that meet the COSMOS standard in all respects, but do not have to contain a minimum percentage of organic (ecologically grown) ingredients.
The COSMOS ORGANIC signature stands for products that comply with the COSMOS standard in all aspects and also contain the required percentage of organic ingredients according to the COSMOS standard. This means that the minimum organic content in the total product is 20%.
Many small steps lead to you doing something good for yourself and your skin with highly pigmented natural cosmetics. Always under the premise: NO BAD STUFF! Step-by-step makes a process...We wish you lots of fun shopping and, above all, worry-free makeup!
