56 Sustainability criteria: The BIOMAZING™ Standard

The BIOMAZING™ sustainability standard is committed to products and production conditions that are not just "organic", but go much further and encompass all relevant aspects of the value chain. Why? The positive effects of sustainable production and its methods are Scientifically measurable and verifiable. 

When BIOMAZING™ was founded, sustainability was not yet a trend. Today, everyone calls their products sustainable, organic and fair. But how is this sustainability assessed and how is it measured?
Over the years, BIOMAZING™ has developed standards and criteria that a product and a brand must fulfil. This comprises 56 clear criteria that are available for everyone to see here - without any surprises or secrecy.

56 clear criteria 

Firstly, we distinguish between the following categories:

Certifications 

Certifications from independent bodies provide a good initial insight into the sustainability and purity of a product. 

Here we check whether a product is certified, and if so, how: 

1. Demeter quality
2. Organic quality
3. Natural quality
4. vegan
5. Cruelty Free

If a product is not certified, we ask the questions that are normally asked and checked as part of certification. 

Influence on nature 

The impact of a product on the environment can have far-reaching consequences that last for many years. We therefore ask whether the products fulfil these criteria and why: 

6. Zero Waste
7. biodegradable - and to what percentage
8. 100% recyclable
9. reusable
10. compostable
11. Packed with recycled material
12. Concentrated content
13. produced with clean energy
14. with regional raw materials
15. Climate neutral
16. GMO-free
17. Ingredients from wild collection
18. No animal testing

Ethical production 

Here we deal with the question of what positive influence the company has in the context of production. These criteria can be checked and fulfilled: 

19. Made in Austria/Switzerland
    These two countries are our home countries, which is why we pay particular attention to products that are manufactured here.
20. Handmade or manufactured in a factory
21. produced in a socially responsible way
22. without animal testing 
23. Fair Trade 
24. Supports charity & projects 
25. vegan 

It has now been proven that everything we consume has a major impact on our health. That's why we ask very carefully whether the products fulfil these requirements: 

Health factors

26. Safe during pregnancy 
27. Safe during chemotherapy 
28. Safe for children 
29. 100% natural colour pigments 

Doch that's not all…

30. Prohibited items are taboo and will be checked 
    Almost 1500 substances are banned in cosmetics in the EU. Does this mean that they are really not used? Unfortunately not. An audit by Global 2000 has shown, for example, that even products in organic shops still contain ingredients that have long been banned. This means, of course, that we also make sure that the substances that are generally banned from cosmetics are really not included.
    
    Another reason why this list is still relevant is that many brands from other EU countries are also available to buy here. It is therefore particularly important to check such products for substances that are already banned.
    
    
31. Transparent & honest
    For us, transparent communication about what a product contains, what it can actually do and what price it is worth is part of a transparent and honest brand. Natural brands are therefore definitely not to be found at BIOMAZING™. Neither are brands that sound very sustainable and pure according to their marketing, but are not.
    
    
32. As much organic content as possible
    The organic content of the individual products must be as high as possible. Not all raw materials have to be organic, as not all raw materials can be certified, and there are also those from wild harvesting. However, we make sure that raw materials that are already easy to obtain are used in organic quality. This is important for the purity of the end product and even more important for the impact of agriculture on the soil and the ecosystem.
33. Exclusively mineral sun protection filters
    We reject chemical filters due to their effects on the body and the environment.
34. No polythene = no microplastics
    Microplastics are already banned in certified natural cosmetics. We make sure that non-certified products do not contain microplastics either.
35. No nanoparticles
36. No nylon
37. No silicones
    Not even those silicones that have so far been considered harmless (linear silicones)
38. No dyes, colouring agents or synthetic colour pigments
    Neither products and textures themselves are coloured or colour-modified (e.g. a cream that is made whiter), nor do they contain synthetic colour pigments (e.g. decorative cosmetics)
39. No fragrances
    This includes all synthetic fragrances and fragrance mixtures. Only essential oils and certified organic fragrances (labelled as perfume or fragrance) are permitted.
40. Only sustainable palm oil
    The palm oil used in the cosmetics industry is only a tiny part of the palm oil problem. Good quality palm oil has excellent properties for the skin and an absolute ban on palm oil, as envisaged by the EU, for example, would have devastating effects on entire countries and their populations, such as in Colombia. We - along with many others - are of the opinion that only a switch to sustainable (!) and organic palm oil can bring about a long-term, sustainable and meaningful change.
41. No talk.
    Due to possible contamination with asbestos. This is now extremely unlikely and rare, and it is possible to have asbestos contamination checked. So far, the need has not arisen, as talc is avoided.
42. No petroleum, no paraffins, no petroleum derivatives
43. No surfactants
44. No methylisothiazolinones and no methylchloroisothiazolinones
45. No formaldehydes and formaldehyde releasers
46. No aluminium salts
47. No BHA and BHT
48. No EDTAs
49. No toluene
50. No ethanolamines
51. No phthalates
52. No hydroquinones
53. No resorcinol
54. No triclosan
55. No parabens
    In addition to conventional parabens, this also includes natural substances that can imitate parabens in the body and therefore have a de facto paraben-like effect in the product and in the body. One example of this is high-dose glycerine in intimate care products.
56. No questionable combinations
    There are ingredients that are harmless on their own, but are no longer completely harmless in a certain combination or processing stage. These combinations are strictly avoided.

= Our 56 sustainability criteria

A small note on this list and the underlying structure: These points can also intertwine, and a clear demarcation is not always possible. A further question from one point can quickly touch on one, two or more other points. We are constantly reviewing new questions in detail and in relation to all of the above criteria.