Published standard · last reviewed 2026-09-30
Quality & documentation standard
Every manufacturer we work with is assessed against this list, and buyers can hold us to it. If a supplier cannot meet it, the answer is no — however good the price.
1. Identity and legal standing
- Legal entity name, registration number and registered address, verifiable in a public register
- Bank account name matching the contracting entity — no third-party beneficiaries without an explained, documented reason
- Two or more references from comparable buyers, contacted directly rather than by email introduction
- Named contacts with authority to sign specifications and change control
- Ownership of the production site, or a lease that covers the contract term
2. Quality system and facility
- GMP or ISO 22716 certification with a verifiable certificate number, current scope and audit date
- Scope covering the specific product category being manufactured for us
- Written procedures for batch release, deviation handling, change control and recall
- Raw-material supplier qualification, including identity testing on receipt
- Facility registration required in the destination market where applicable
- Traceability from finished batch back to raw-material lots
3. Testing
| Test | Frequency | Performed by | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity and potency | Every batch | Third-party accredited laboratory | Confirms the actives are present at the declared strength |
| Heavy metals | Every batch for high-risk materials; otherwise per protocol | Third-party accredited | Botanicals, rice protein and cocoa are the classic risk materials |
| Microbiology | Every batch | Third-party accredited | Total plate count, yeasts and moulds, specified organisms |
| Preservative efficacy | Per formula and after any change | Third-party microbiology laboratory | The safety test for water-containing cosmetics |
| Stability | Real-time per formula and pack | Manufacturer; third-party verification on request | Supports the shelf life and the label's accuracy at end of life |
| Banned substances | Per batch where a claim is made | Programme laboratory | Required for sports-positioned products and to substantiate the claim |
4. Documents required per order
- Batch-specific certificate of analysis, with the batch number matched to the invoice and packing list
- Third-party accredited laboratory reports for the tests above, with the accreditation scope visible
- Certificate of analysis for each key raw material, plus identity confirmation on receipt
- Stability protocol and results for the agreed formula and packaging
- Allergen, additive, novel food, NDI and prohibited-substance statements as applicable
- Label artwork with mandatory warnings, and claim substantiation files held by you
- Manufacturing site certificates, plus any market-specific registration or licence
- Batch record summary or full record on request, and a certificate of destruction for any rejected batch
5. Commercial conduct
- Quotations in writing, with MOQ, tooling, validity period, Incoterm with place and version
- Lead time split into production and transit, with a stated remedy for late delivery
- Specification locked after approval; any change requires written agreement before production
- Non-conformance handled by replacement or credit, agreed in the purchase order
- Bank detail changes verified out of band, with two approvers — no exceptions
- A signed quality agreement, not just a purchase order
Standard questions
Why do you publish your supplier standard?
Because a standard that nobody can read is not a standard. Publishing it lets a buyer hold us to it, lets a manufacturer know what to prepare, and lets anyone sourcing elsewhere use it as their own checklist. It also makes it harder for us to be vague later.
What happens when a supplier fails the standard?
They do not go on the panel, or they come off it. Where a gap is administrative — an expired certificate, a missing translation — we ask for remediation and re-check. Where it is structural — a certificate scope that does not cover the product, or a refusal to provide batch testing — that is not fixable by a phone call.
Do you inspect factories in person?
For new manufacturers on the panel and for high-value or high-risk orders, yes, directly or through a third-party inspector we select rather than one the factory recommends. For repeat production, we rely on batch testing, documentation and periodic re-verification.
Can I see the paperwork for my own order?
Yes. Everything in the documentation pack is yours: batch certificates, third-party test reports, stability data, safety reports and label files. It is your regulatory evidence, not ours to hold back.