The Nordic Swan Ecolabel environmental requirements for skin care, sunscreen, soap and other cosmetic products

The substances that are part of a Nordic Ecolabelled cosmetic product must live up to strict environmental and chemical requirements. This means that the use of a number of drugs is prohibited. In addition, there are requirements for the design of the packaging in order to both limit material consumption and waste of the products.

The product group includes all the types of products that fall under the EU Cosmetics Regulation, eg. products for skin and hair care, sun protection products and decorative cosmetics. In addition, it is also possible to Nordic Ecolabel care products for animals, sex products whose composition is similar to cosmetic products (eg. lube and anal cream) and wet wipes. Products covered by the Biocides Regulation cannot be Nordic Ecolabelled.

The requirements include:

• Environmental properties (degradability, bioaccumulability and toxicity to aquatic organisms) of the chemical substances used.
• No use of substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, harmful to reproduction or allergenic.
• No use of substances on the EU list of substances suspected of being endocrine disruptors.
• No use of microplastics.
• No perfume in baby and baby products.
• Packaging volume and degree of emptying for different types of packaging.

What does it cost?

When you apply for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, you must pay a fee. Additionally, when you have a certification, you must pay an annual licence fee based on the turnover of the certified product or service.

Please visit our Nordic website to see the specific fees. You will find them at the bottom of the page for the relevant product group under the fees» tab. You can find all product groups here.