Certifications & Testing
Don't Take Our Word
For Any of It.
Anyone can print "organic" on a pouch. What matters is whether someone outside the company has checked — and whether you can look that up yourself.
Everything on this page links to a source we do not control.
The Certification
COSMOS ORGANIC
Certified by ECOCERT GREENLIFE to COSMOS-standard v4.2
COSMOS is the European standard for organic and natural cosmetics. It covers how the plants were farmed, how the product was made, and what is allowed to be in it — and it is audited by an independent certification body rather than self-declared.
Signature
COSMOS ORGANIC
Certification body
ECOCERT GREENLIFE
Standard version
4.2
Products listed
26, individually
Every shade is listed separately. All 24 colours, plus Men's Soft Black and our Premium Mix Hair Powder — each one named in the public directory rather than covered by a single company-level claim.
Look it up yourself Search "Radico" in the COSMOS certified products directory. The listing is maintained by COSMOS, not by us. Open directory →The Test
Heavy Metals
This is the question we are asked most often after "does it cover grey" — and for good reason. Products sold as henna have been found containing lead and metallic salts, usually added to force a darker, faster stain. It is a real problem in this category.
So we had a pouch tested by an accredited laboratory and put the report on this page.
Eurofins Analytical Services India · November 2022
Sample
Organic Light Ash Blonde
Batch
OLA/22/I/001
Method
AOAC 2015.01
Report
AR-22-IR-115600-01
| Metal | Found | Health Canada limit | Share of limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury (Hg) | <0.01 mg/kg | 1 mg/kg | Below detection |
| Arsenic (As) | 0.29 mg/kg | 3 mg/kg | About 10% |
| Lead (Pb) | 0.87 mg/kg | 10 mg/kg | About 9% |
| Cadmium (Cd) | 0.03 mg/kg | 3 mg/kg | About 1% |
Why Health Canada's limits? The United States has no federal limit for heavy metal impurities in cosmetics. Health Canada publishes one, and it is the closest applicable standard in North America. We have used the stricter figure for mercury where sources differ.
The report as issued. Eurofins Analytical Services India Private Limited, Bangalore — an IAS-accredited testing laboratory (TL-1097) operating under ilac-MRA mutual recognition.
What this is, and what it isn't
This is one shade, one batch, tested once, in November 2022. It is not a claim that every pouch we have ever shipped was tested — no brand tests every batch of everything, and we are not going to imply otherwise.
What it is: an accredited independent laboratory measuring what was actually in the powder, with the report reproduced above rather than summarised.
For context, Germany's BVL applies stricter figures still — around 2 mg/kg for lead and 0.1 mg/kg for mercury. The lead result above sits below that too.
Three More Marks
Each One Screens for Something Different
These are not four ways of saying the same thing. Each organisation is looking at a different question, and it is worth knowing which is which — not least because one of them is not about safety at all.
MADE SAFE
Screens for known hazards
A US non-profit that screens products against a list of substances linked to human or ecosystem harm. Its question is whether anything on that list is present — not how the plants were farmed.
See the listing →
CertClean
Screens the ingredient list
A North American certification that reviews every ingredient against a list of substances it excludes. Its question is what is on the label, checked line by line.
Vegan
Not a safety claim
Confirms no animal-derived ingredients and no animal testing. It says nothing about safety, purity or organic content — and we would rather say so than let it pad the list.
What none of these can tell you
Whether it is right for your hair, or your situation. A certification says what is in the pouch and how it was made. It does not say how the colour will land on your hair, and it is not a medical opinion — if you are pregnant, in treatment, or managing a condition, that is a conversation with your doctor.
What we can do is make that conversation easier. Every shade's full ingredient list, in order of quantity →
How plant colour actually works, including what your scalp absorbs →