Protect against bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as “mad cow disease”. Cosmetics should not be manufactured or processed and must not contain banned materials from livestock.

These materials include specific hazardous material, material from incompetent farm animals, material from livestock not inspected and passed, or mechanically separated beef. Prohibited livestock material does not contain sebum containing more than 0.15 per cent of insoluble impurities derived from sebum and skin, skin products and milk and dairy products. The full list of restricted and prohibited ingredients is available from the US FDA.

A BSE-free certificate issued by a cosmetics association such as ACMA explains that the listed products do not contain prohibited materials and that the manufacturing process and packaging are equally environmentally friendly.

The BSE-free certificate can be certified, notarized and legalized for use abroad, or certified and apostilled.