What Does USDA & EU Organic Certification Mean?
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When you see that our marula oil is USDA-NOP and EU certified organic, it means the ingredient comes with independently verified organic certification — providing an additional layer of transparency and confidence about its sourcing and production.
At Murulae, marula oil is our most important ingredients. That's why we want you to know not only what it is, but also where it comes from and the standards behind it.
Our marula seed oil is certified organic by the USDA, Control Union and EU Control Union by the manufacturer/processor.
What does USDA Organic mean?
USDA Organic refers to the organic standards established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its National Organic Program (NOP).
USDA organic certification is a regulated system rather than simply a marketing claim. Certified operations must meet the applicable USDA organic standards and are inspected and overseen by an accredited independent certifying organisation.
For our marula oil, the certifying body is:
Control Union Certifications
The USDA certification record for the certified marula operation confirms that it is certified under the USDA National Organic Program and includes Marula Seed Oil within its certified products.
Learn more about USDA Organic certification
What does EU Organic certification mean?
The European Union organic system provides a regulated framework for organic production and certification within the EU.
Like USDA certification, EU organic certification involves defined standards and independent inspection and certification. The aim is to give consumers confidence that products described as organic meet recognised production requirements.
Our marula oil supplier states that its marula seed oil is certified under EU Control Union organic certification, alongside its USDA certification.
Control Union is an internationally recognised certification organisation that provides organic certification, including certification under EU organic standards. Its certification database also provides information on certified companies and products.
Learn more about EU Organic certification
Why have both USDA and EU certification?
USDA and EU organic certification are separate regulatory systems, with their own standards and requirements.
Having certification under both systems provides reassurance that the marula oil sits within recognised organic certification frameworks for different markets.
For Murulae, this is another part of our commitment to being transparent about the ingredients we use.
Where does our marula oil come from?
Our marula oil is derived from the kernels of the marula fruit (Sclerocarya birrea), a tree indigenous to Southern Africa.
According to our supplier, the marula oil is sourced from Southern Africa, with the stated origin for this oil being Limpopo, South Africa. The raw material is wild-harvested marula kernels, which are then cold-pressed to produce the oil.
This means that when you use a Murulae product containing our marula oil, you're using an ingredient with a traceable Southern African origin and independently certified organic credentials.
Who certifies the marula oil?
The certification is carried out by Control Union Certifications.
The USDA certification record identifies Control Union Certifications as the certifier and confirms the certified status of the relevant marula operation.
That's an important distinction.
Organic certification involves independent verification against defined standards — giving the claim considerably more meaning than simply describing an ingredient as “natural” or “organic” without certification.
What about the USDA Organic and EU Organic logos?
This is where things get slightly more complicated — and we'd rather be transparent about it.
The USDA Organic seal is a protected certification mark and can only be used in accordance with USDA rules.
Similarly, the EU Organic logo is an official certification mark with strict rules governing its use. The European Commission states that the EU Organic logo is intended for products within the scope of the EU organic regulations and does not apply to cosmetics.
Therefore, we don't want to give the impression that our finished Murulae skincare products themselves are USDA or EU certified organic simply because they contain certified organic marula oil.
Instead, we tell you exactly what is certified:
Our marula oil is sourced from a supplier whose marula seed oil is certified organic under:
USDA National Organic Program (USDA-NOP)
EU Organic
Certifying body: Control Union Certifications
This distinction matters to us because we believe transparency is more important than using certification logos in a way that could confuse customers.
Why does organic certification matter to Murulae?
We created Murulae around a simple idea: what you put on your skin matters.
That's why we carefully consider the ingredients we use and where they come from.
Our marula oil is cold-pressed from marula kernels sourced from Southern Africa, and our supplier confirms organic certification under both the USDA-NOP and EU organic systems.
For us, that adds another layer of reassurance to an ingredient that is already at the heart of Murulae.
We believe you should be able to know what's in your skincare — and where those ingredients come from.
Find out more
USDA Organic
USDA National Organic Program – Organic Certification
EU Organic
European Commission – Organic Farming & Certification
Control Union Certifications