What do you mean by “no chemical nasties?”Updated 2 hours ago

"No chemical nasties" is colloquial shorthand Koh uses to describe its approach to ingredient selection. The phrase isn't a regulated term and doesn't refer to any single legal or industry standard. Instead, Koh treats it as a stand-in for the actual criteria its products are tested against, which are the ingredient and testing standards set by independent certification programs. Where a Koh product carries one of these certifications, it has been assessed against that program's published criteria, which can include restrictions on substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction (CMR), volatile organic compound (VOC) limits, biodegradability and aquatic toxicity criteria, dermatological tolerance testing, and screening for ingredients that may aggravate asthma symptoms. Customers should check each product's page on koh.com to see which certifications currently apply to that specific product.

"No chemical nasties" is colloquial shorthand. The phrase isn't a regulated term and doesn't refer to a single legal or industry standard. Instead, we treat it as a stand-in for the actual criteria our products are tested against, which are set by independent certification programs.

Where a Koh product carries one of these certifications, it has been independently assessed against that program's published criteria. The certifications a specific product currently holds are shown on its product page.

Three independent certification programs cover the Koh range. GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia) is Australia's only multi-sector ecolabel, recognised by the Global Ecolabelling Network. Sensitive Choice is run by the National Asthma Council Australia (NACA) and screens products for ingredients that may aggravate asthma symptoms. Dermatest is an independent dermatological testing institute that assesses products for skin tolerance under defined testing protocols. Different Koh products carry different combinations of these certifications, depending on the product's category and the criteria each program covers. The current cert stack for any specific product is shown on its koh.com product page.

Three independent certification programs cover the Koh range. Different products carry different combinations, depending on the product's category and the criteria each program covers.

GECA's Cleaning Products Standard sets ingredient and operational criteria covering substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction (CMR), volatile organic compound (VOC) limits, biodegradability and aquatic toxicity thresholds, packaging recyclability, and social/manufacturing standards including ethical labour practices. Products are reviewed against the standard before certification is granted, and the certification has a defined term and renewal process. Sensitive Choice screens products against the National Asthma Council Australia's criteria for ingredients that can aggravate asthma symptoms in sensitive individuals. Dermatest applies a dermatological tolerance test under their published methodology and issues a certificate indicating the product passed that protocol. Each program publishes its criteria, and certifications are renewed periodically. The exact requirements differ between programs, which is why a product can hold one certification but not another.

Each program has different criteria. Here's the broad picture.

Each program publishes its full criteria on its own website. The exact requirements differ, which is why a product can hold one certification but not another.

Each Koh product page on koh.com displays the certifications currently held by that specific product. Cert badges typically appear near the product specifications, the ingredients section, or in the product description. If a certification isn't shown on a product's page, it isn't currently held by that product. If you have a specific question about an ingredient or a certification for a particular product, contact our team and we'll help.