NPA Strengthens Natural Seal Requirements

WASHINGTONThe Products Association (NPA) has further enhanced its Natural Seal certification program by stiffening some requirements.  The program, which that has granted the "Certified Natural seal to more than 750 products and ingredients since 2008, will require fragrances and colorants in home care products to be 100-percent natural starting Feb. 1, 2012. This new requirement will cover all new home care products certified by NPA, as well as current products, upon recertification as of February 1, 2012.

NPA said the change strengthens the Natural Seal by ensuring manufacturers only use natural fragrances, eliminating such troubling fragrance ingredients as absolutes and concretes. The new requirements will also eliminate any colorant ingredients that require the use of petrochemical materials for processing, and  prohibit synthetic additives.

The trade group said it will continue to offer discounted pricing on certification for both personal care and home care products formulated with NPA-certified ingredients already evaluated and certified by NPA for use in natural products. The discount offer from NPA includes: 25 percent off products containing four or more NPA-certified ingredients, and a 50 percent off products using only NPA-certified ingredients.

The list of certified ingredients, certification materials and application are available at www.TheNaturalSeal.org. For questions about certification, contact Joy Akins at (202) 503-1963 or [email protected]

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