Buyer requirements to access international markets for cosmetic and pharmaceutical ingredients
Sustainable trade
Natural ingredients for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals collected from the wild population must be collected through the implementation of good agricultural and manufacturing practices and by providing documentation of sustainable collection practices.
- If you are an exporter of wild-collected botanicals or their derivatives, you need to take the provisions of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Check the Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora regulation: if your product is listed there, all exports need to be accompanied by an export permit from Bahamas Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources and an import permit from the authorities in the country you are exporting to.
- Regarding pharmaceutical ingredients you can read more about Good Manufacturing Practices on the US Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency or to Health Canada websites.
- Regarding cosmetic ingredients find more in the Cosmetic Good Manufacturing Practices guide for the USA industry or GMPs for Cosmetic products in Canada or consult the European Federation for Cosmetic Ingredients.
Certifications
International buyers expect good standards of manufacturing. Most buyers expect suppliers to at least follow Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles. Buyers often refer to quality standards in their product specifications, to assure the quality of the ingredients they are buying. Examples of such standards include the International Organisation of Standardisation (ISO) or the International Fragrance Association (IFRA; for essential oils).
- For better understanding of requirements and certification standards read more about Cosmetic Regulation and requirements for the six international markets
- For an extensive overview of the European markets read more about market requirements for natural ingredients for health products and about requirements for natural ingredients for cosmetics on the CBI website.