News

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“During the last 5 years, Sozio has grown exponentially with double-digits increases every year and the company has seen its turnover triple. This growth can be explained by two factors, internal and external, through the acquisition of 2 new fragrance companies Scentessence in France and Phoenix Fragrances in the UK and the opening of 6 new Sales offices or Laboratories abroad which allow our development teams to be closer to our customers. Indeed, we completed our existing network os sales offices in Canada, Israel, Germany and Philippines with the opening of offices in Dubai, Poland, Spain, Algeria, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

We have considerably increased our production capacities in our 7 factories worldwide (Piscataway, New Jersey-USA, Noyant- France, Wellinborough-UK, Chartres-France , Hong- Kong, Jakarta-Indonesia and very soon the opening of a new factory  in China) to better serve our customers and reduce our leadtimes.

The company has also diversified its activity, especially in the ingredients sector with the acquisition of Synarome , a leading producer of specialties for the fragrance industry.

These years have also witnessed the growth of natural perfumery and thus Sozio’s role within this sector. Today, more than 10% of Sozio’s turnover comes from its expertise in natural formulation due to our large palette of natural / Cosmos certified ingredients and the savoir-faire of our 25 perfumers worldwide , also specialized in Fine fragrances, Personal Care, Home fragrances and Household products.

With targeted sales of 100 ms€ in 2023, Sozio is still driven by the « artisan mind » of the founders 265 years ago, and now the savoir-faire of our creative teams, the proximity to our clients and the agility of our logistical centers worldwide.

I would like to deeply thank our 3,000 long time existing or new clients, but moreover our 350 employees who are giving all their energy and enthusiasm to offer the best creativity and the best service as possible and sustain Sozio’s growth.

2023 will be again a new year full of passionate events with various developments and challenges that we will share in the next coming months !”

Frederic Braud, Sozio General Manager

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The sixth version of the ECOCERT natural detergents standard was published in May 2022, and entered into force on 1^st August 2022. From 1^st August 2023, all products certified according to this standard and their labelling must comply with this new version.
The ECOCERT Natural Detergents certification for cleaning products is an internationally recognized environmental label. It guarantees respect for the environment throughout the production process, the use of ingredients of natural or organic origin, and the prohibition of most petrochemical ingredients.
In this latest version, the new requirements for finished products ensure:

• More precision on naturalness, and greater restrictions on synthetic ingredients
• A safer product with the addition of new prohibited risk phrases on finished products
• More commitment from companies on environmental management
• A guarantee of effectiveness on the main function of the finished product

The complete standard is available following this link: Ecocert Greenlife standard for Natural Detergents made with Organic 2022
This standard is private, and certification requires a commitment to an independent certification body such as ECOCERT.

In order to be eligible for ECOCERT natural detergent certification, all cleaning products must first comply with the regulations in force relating to detergent products (see Foreword – V. The regulatory bases on page 9 of the standards document via the link above).

TWO LABELS

According to the ECOCERT natural detergent standard, there are two levels of labelling for detergent products:

• Label « Natural detergents » :

> No minimum requirement about % of organic ingredients

> The labelling elements set out in Appendix V of the ECOCERT natural detergents standard are not permitted on the finished product

The Sixth version of the ECOCERT natural detergents standard has extended the list of prohibited hazard statements on finished products certified “Natural detergents”. In addition to environmental hazards, hazard statements for certain physical hazards (explosive, gases under pressure) and human health hazards (toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic) are now prohibited. The complete list of hazard statements and their prohibition is available in Appendix V of the standard.

• Label « Natural detergents made with organic » :

> 10% minimum of organic ingredients in the finished product

> No hazard statement is allowed on the finished product

INGREDIENTS

ECOCERT distinguishes different types of ingredients according to their nature, origin or function.

For natural origin ingredients, the main prerequisites are that they are guaranteed non-GMO and not listed in the appendices of the CITES Washington Convention (or benefit from CITES import/export control permits and certificates). They must come from authorised physical or chemical processes (see Appendix III of the standard).

Petrochemical solvents are not allowed for extraction processes, except in special cases (see Appendix I.A.5 of the standard). As a result, Absolutes and resinoids are prohibited.

Synthetic ingredients, derived from petrochemicals, are prohibited in the finished product, except for a list of authorised ingredients (see Appendix I of the standard) that includes ethanol denaturants, preservatives, etc.

Organic certified ingredients according to an Organic Agriculture regulation (CE, NOP, JAS or equivalent), or a recognized private standard (Cosmetics or Natural detergents of ECOCERT Greenlife or COSMOS) are accepted.

Only fragrances with natural origin ingredients are allowed.

NB: The rules specific to these labels and ingredients are fully explained in the ECOCERT Natural Detergent standard. We talk about the requirements only applicable to the design of a fragrance composition according to this standard.

SOZIO PROVIDES NATURAL FRAGRANCES THAT COMPLY WITH THE NEW VERSION OF THE ECOCERT NATURAL DETERGENTS STANDARD

SOZIO is committed to the certifying bodies ECOCERT Greenlife according to the COSMOS standard, and ECOCERT France according to the European Organic Agriculture (AB) 2018/848 regulation.
These commitments allow SOZIO to offer 100% natural fragrances that are approved or organic certified according to the COSMOS standard, but also Essential Oils (EO) or mixtures of EOs certified as organic according to Regulation (EU) 2018/848. Our certificates and attestations are provided on request.

These natural fragrances, their raw materials and these EOs, meet the requirements relating to the ingredients mentioned above and are directly approved by ECOCERT. They are recognized and fully accepted in detergent products certified “Natural Detergent” or “Natural Detergents made with organic” according to version 6 of the ECOCERT standard.

To check compliance of fragrances and EOs with version 6 of this standard, we need to ensure that at the intended load/dosage, the fragrances do not bring additional hazard statements that are prohibited on the finished Natural Detergent products.

We remain at your disposal to check the compliance of the fragrances we provide to your company according to version 6 of the ECOCERT Natural Detergent standard.

For any new brief for a fragrance compliant with this new standard, the nature of the label, the fragrance load/dosage in the finished product, and the percentage of organic ingredients required from the fragrance will be necessary for the development.

If you need any further information about ECOCERT and COSMOS standards, please reach out to us via email: regulatory@jesozio.com, or through your designated Sales Representative.

Please note that all the newsletters published in 2022 are available on request:

• The new EU Ecolabel criteria for cosmetics and animal have been released!
• The Washington State Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act
• Methyl-N-methylanthranilate: new conditions of use
• Consultation on the 51st Amendment to the IFRA Standards
• Vegan certifications for cosmetic and household products
• China’s New Cosmetics Regulation (CSAR)

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China State Council released the final version of CSAR (Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics) on 29^th June 2020. This regulation came into force on 1^st January 2021 and replaced the existing Cosmetics Hygiene Supervision Regulations, which was first released in 1989.

CSAR aims to ensure the quality and safety of cosmetics through strengthening the supervision and management of cosmetics and controlling the production and operations to protect consumer health.
Some important changes with deadlines scheduled in 2023 are described below.

REGULATION CHANGES

China’s new cosmetics regulation addresses compliance requirements, and many of the key changes and updates are as follows:

• New cosmetic definitions, scope and classifications

CSAR defines cosmetics as ‘’ daily chemical products intended to be applied on human skin, hair, nails, lips, mouth, etc., by spreading, spraying or other similar ways for cleansing, protecting, beautifying, or grooming purposes’’.

Toothpaste is not considered a cosmetic product, and a notification must be completed before entering the market.

Soaps remain outside of the scope of CSAR; the only exceptions are soaps with special cosmetic efficacies.

The classification of “special cosmetic products” (cosmetics with special purpose or function) has been updated to include hair dyeing, hair perming, spot removing and whitening, anti-hair loss, and any new function as determined by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).

Other cosmetic products fall under general cosmetics.

• Cosmetic efficacy claims

Cosmetic claims must be substantiated by sufficient scientific evidence, and the applicant is to make this information publicly available on the NMPA’s website. Claims may be substantiated by literature, research data, or product efficacy evaluation data.

• Safety Assessment of cosmetic Products

For registering or filing of cosmetic products, as well as new cosmetics ingredients, it is necessary to conduct a safety assessment.

General cosmetics can be exempted from animal testing if the safety and quality requirements (GMP/ISO issued by government) is met/proven.

• Safety Information of cosmetic Ingredients, including Fragrance

For raw materials functioning as preservatives, sunscreen agents, colorants, hair dyes, dark spot-removing agents, and whitening agents, the safety data shall be submitted and is mandatory from 1^st January 2022.
For other raw materials, including fragrance, the safety data shall be submitted and is mandatory from 1^st January 2023. Any data gaps for all raw materials in a cosmetic product, including those used in such products notified or registered prior to CSAR, shall be filled before 1^st May 2023.
There are two ways to report the information:

1. Filer/registrant of the cosmetic product can obtain from its suppliers the Annex 14 information for each cosmetic ingredient and submit with filing/registration dossier.

2. The supplier of the cosmetic ingredient can perform the notification for that ingredient on the MNPA safety information platform. A registration code will be generated which can be shared with downstream filer/registrants for use during the registration process of the finished cosmetic product.

As a fragrance manufacturer, Sozio is willing to provide the Annex 14 with the basic set of documents (SDS, IFRA, Allergens certificate) to downstream filer/registrants placing cosmetics on the Chinese market.
For the best-selling fragrances, Sozio authorizes its Chinese subsidiary to perform the ingredient data submission on the NMPA safety information platform on its behalf. Through this process the fragrance registration code will be generated and subsequently made available to appropriate downstream filer/registrants.

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER, WITH SOZIO SUPPORT

CSAR aims to encourage and support research and innovation of cosmetics to meet consumer needs, with advanced technology and management practices to improve the quality and safety of cosmetics through a combination of modern techniques. Under the premise of safety, more innovative technologies will be utilized in cosmetic R&D, stimulating the industries vitality and motivating scientific investigation and application. In addition, the positive policies in CSAR are hoped to boost enterprises’ interest in developing new ingredients and products with new efficacy claims.

Sozio fully supports customers facing this new regulatory challenge through provision of fragrance safety information by way of Annex 14 information, or by registering the best-selling fragrances directly, and providing the registration code. As the official text is only available in the Chinese language, the support of Sozio’s Chinese subsidiary offers an advantageous and comprehensive understanding of the regulation and Sozio’s obligations regarding CSAR requirements and compliance.

FOLLOW UP

If you need any further information about Vegan certifications, please reach out to us via email: regulatory@jesozio.com or through your designated Sales Representative.