Every certification we track in our scoring methodology — how each one is verified, what it actually guarantees, and what it leaves out.
Independent verification that a product contains no animal-derived ingredients.
Verifies a product and its ingredients were not tested on animals.
Certifies entire companies on social, environmental and governance performance.
US federal standard for food and farming grown without synthetic pesticides or GMOs.
Guarantees minimum prices and community premiums for producers in developing countries.
The strictest globally recognised cruelty-free certification with supplier audits.
Independent verification that a product avoids genetically modified inputs.
Personal-care certification with strict ingredient transparency and safety criteria.
Standard for farms and forests on biodiversity, livelihoods and supply-chain traceability.
Forest Stewardship Council certification for responsibly managed forests.
Certifications aren't interchangeable — each one tests a different slice of a product's footprint. A useful shortcut: look for at least one ingredient/material certification (Organic, EWG, FSC, GOTS), one process certification (Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance) and one company-levelcertification (B Corp, Leaping Bunny). Together they cover what you buy, how it was made, and who made it.
A product with a single self-declared “eco-friendly” badge tells you almost nothing. A product with three independent third-party seals from active registries tells you a lot.
It depends on the product category. B Corp signals company-wide practices; Leaping Bunny and Cruelty-Free certify no animal testing; USDA Organic and EWG Verified focus on ingredient safety; FSC and Fair Trade certify raw materials and supply chains. We show which certifications each product carries so you can weight them the way you care.
No. Cruelty-free means the finished product wasn't tested on animals. Vegan means no animal-derived ingredients. A product can be one, both or neither — we tag them separately.
Yes. Self-declared claims, expired seals and lookalike logos all exist. We only credit third-party certifications with active, verifiable registries, and we link out to each certifier so you can confirm.
Certifications feed the Brand & Trust pillar. They aren't the whole score — a heavily certified product with poor durability or terrible support won't top a category — but they materially raise the ceiling.