In 1986, in a small French village, Rodolphe Balz started his organic aromatherapy company, Sanoflore. Today, what started as a passion for “green chemistry”—based off plants versus the conventional petrochemistry—has grown into 147 employees and boosts annual sales estimated at €15 million, or $18.3 million.
A tenacious advocate for organic, and with a little help from his local friends, Balz started to create organic aromatherapy products, essential oils and cosmetics by creating partnerships with farmers who grew organic plants cooperatively. His efforts moved the Drôme region to the top of the ladder for French aromatics and medicinal plants; and in 2006, L’Oréal bought Sanoflore.
From boutique beginnings to booming botanist, Balz established (what is soon to become known as the standard) elementary requirements for organic certification. Cosmetic manufacturers, exporters and importers have been seeking a unified standard for the terms “natural” and “organic” for many years. And organizations such as the French Ecocert are paving the way for universal standards.
With hopeful tone, The New York Times reported on recent advancements toward unifying organic cosmetics. Based out of Brussels, a non-profit international association was launched last month—Cosmos (the COSMetic Organic Standard)—in an effort to establish Cosmos as the international standard. Five cosmetic organizations signed up for the alliance: BDIH of Germany, Cosmébio and Ecocert of France, ICEA of Italy, and the Soil Association of Britain. Plans to homogenize the terms “natural” and “organic”, in reference to cosmetics, are slated for completion at the close of 2014.