English
FrançaisThe Authentic Provence Charter has been drafted to serve as guarantee to customers that the cosmetics brand and the product manufacturing and design sites are located in Provence, and that the ingredients originated in Provence. The indication of Provence origin covers the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region (PACA) and the adjacent departments of Drôme, Ardèche and Gard.
The certification criteria
The product certification is exclusively reserved for members of the association Authentic Provence who are up to date with their subscriptions and have signed the Charter.
The certification procedure includes the control of the following points:
• The brand owner must be a member of Authentic Provence, and have its head office and manager in charge domiciled in Provence. Any special case not provided for in the Charter will be submitted to the Association Board, which will decide on the basis of Article 8 of the association’s statutes.
• The brand products must be designed and produced in Provence. To be eligible for the Authentic Provence certification, a product must comply with the Charter’s labeling requirements, i.e., that every Authentic Provence ingredient is identified on the INCI list (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) by an ‘AP’ stamp, indicating that it is 100% compliant. The product must also comply with the Charter’s composition requirements, namely that it must contain at least one ‘AP’ ingredient fully produced, grown and processed in Provence.
The certified products
Flow control is possible if all players in the chain agree to be controlled: the raw material producers, the formula development and processing laboratories, and the end product manufacturing and packaging companies.
All these stakeholders must therefore be members of the association and be able to prove that they have a verifiable flow management. Even though the Authentic Provence label can only be used on cosmetic end products complying with the Charter’s specifications, the compliance certification for raw materials and ingredients must appear on all documents: invoices, delivery forms… Affixing the Authentic Provence label to communication tools for a range of products guarantees 80% minimum certified end products in this range.
The certification procedure ensures the nondisclosure of the formulas, except to the auditing body, but the association retains control of the certifications through a certification committee.
The revision and development of the Charter’s specifications are handled by a technical committee.