What Does Oeko-Tex Certified Mean?

Safe, natural, non-toxic. These are big buzzwords that are easy enough for brands to claim—especially when marketing to well-meaning parents who are doing their best to keep their children safe from harmful chemicals. But, for the average consumer, who doesn’t recognize the many hard-to-pronounce names on any given ingredient list, or isn’t familiar with the ins and outs of product manufacturing, it can be difficult to actually differentiate between what’s just greenwashing and what’s the real deal. 

If you’re a parent or eco-conscious to any degree, you’ve likely heard of Oeko-Tex. When you see a product with an Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label, it’s a reassurance that those “non-toxic” and “safe for baby” claims are actually being substantiated. It’s a quick way to verify if a product is truly harmless to your health, so let’s dive into what Oeko-Tex is and what its label actually means:

What is Oeko-Tex?

The Oeko-Tex Association was founded in 1992 with the aim of using laboratory tests to ensure textile products are harmless to human health. It is based in Zurich, Sweden, and made up of 17 independent textile and leather testing institutes.

What is the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification?

The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is the primary certification in the Oeko-Tex system, and one of the most accepted and recognized certifications globally. The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 classifies textile products into four different product classes:

• Product class I: Babies and small children up to 3 years.
• Product class II: Skin contacts materials
• Product class III: Materials without skin contact
• Product class IV: Home textiles

The strictest requirements are applied to Class I products to ensure the highest level of safety for the most vulnerable in our population. Every thread, button, and accessory is tested against a list of over 1,000 harmful substances, with products for babies and small children as falling under the strictest human ecology requirements and laboratory tests.

To receive an Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification, a product must pass these stringent safety tests and a criteria catalog that includes: 

• Important legal regulations, such as banned azo colorants, pentachlorophenol, per-fluorinated substances (PFAS, PFCs), cadmium, lead, etc.
• Numerous harmful chemicals, even if they are not yet regulated legally
• Numerous substance classes that are relevant to the environment
• Compliance to several regulations worldwide including REACH Annex XIV and XVII, US CPSIA (lead), EU POPs regulation
• All textile relevant substances of the ECHA SVHC candidate list are covered

Is testing a one-time thing or is it done annually?

The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 label must be renewed annually, along with testing to the current standard. At least once a year, Oeko-Tex reviews its limit values for harmful substances. If the limits are changed, products must meet the new limits to renew their certification.

Why is the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification important?

No one wants to use a product that’s harmful to their health or their baby’s health, but the reality is that there’s almost no way to know what actually goes into the products that you use daily. Federal regulations around claims like “natural” and “non-toxic” are fairly lax, which means brands can mislead consumers about the safety of their products by making false or exaggerated claims.

An Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification lets consumers know that the product has followed a strict international standard of safety and has been tested against substances that are known to be harmful to human health. While the average consumer has no way of holding a product accountable to its claims of safety, Oeko-Tex does. The label is a symbol of quality and a guarantee to consumers that they can trust the product—and the brand.