15% OFF on orders from 10kg with code: WELCOME15🌿 Sourced directly from African cooperatives 15% OFF on orders from 10kg with code: WELCOME15🌿 Sourced directly from African cooperatives

Certificate of Analysis (CoA) Process

Every shipment includes a per-batch Certificate of Analysis covering microbiology, heavy metals, and pesticide residue. What we test, when we test it, and how to pre-clear before shipment.

Every Essential Care Plus shipment ships with a per-batch Certificate of Analysis (CoA) at no extra charge. The CoA is the document your QA team uses to clear the batch before it enters production. Here is exactly what we test, which categories of laboratory we use, and how to request the CoA before shipment for buyers with strict QA gates.

What every CoA reports

  • Microbiology panel — total aerobic count, yeast & mould, E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Reported in CFU/g against ISO 21149 / 16212 / 21528 / 6888 / 16266 thresholds.
  • Heavy metals panel — arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury. ICP-MS quantification, reported in mg/kg against the EU Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009 Annex II thresholds for cosmetic-grade and Codex Alimentarius / FDA limits for food-grade ingredients.
  • Pesticide residue panel — LC-MS/MS + GC-MS multi-residue scan covering 300+ active substances. Especially relevant for spirulina (alkaline-pond contamination), hibiscus (carbendazim), and moringa (chlorpyrifos).
  • Identity confirmation — macroscopic + organoleptic profile matched to reference sample. For chebe powder, particle size distribution + ash content + reference resin profile.
  • Moisture content — relevant for shelf-life and shipping weight. Reported as %w/w.

Laboratory partners

We use a hybrid lab network. Primary microbiology and identity panels run at accredited West African laboratories (located in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal — closer to the cooperatives, faster turnaround on identity confirmation). Confirmatory heavy-metals and pesticide-residue panels run at accredited European laboratories when buyers require ISO 17025 conformance — particularly for EU cosmetic-regulation compliance. Specific lab partner names and ISO 17025 scopes available on quote request; we name them in the quote so your QA team can verify accreditation in advance.

CoA before shipment (pre-clearance)

For first-time orders or buyers with strict QA gates, we issue the CoA before the batch leaves Cotonou so your team can pre-clear. Process: (1) you confirm the order, (2) we pull from cooperative stock and run the lab panel, (3) we email the signed PDF CoA, (4) your QA team approves or rejects within 5 business days, (5) we ship from Cotonou on approval. This adds 5–10 business days to lead time vs. the default “CoA accompanies the shipment” flow but eliminates the risk of a batch arriving at your warehouse and failing your incoming-goods inspection.

CoA retention and re-issue

We retain CoA records for each batch for a minimum of three years. If your QA team needs the CoA re-issued or the underlying raw lab data, request via contact@essentialcareplus.com with your order number and batch number — turnaround is two business days.

Request a wholesale quote to receive a sample CoA from a recent batch of the ingredient you are evaluating.

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