Adopted by 80 countries in 1973 and with now 175 adherents (known as Parties), CITES aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species to which they belong.
This text provides a binding framework, each Party to adopt a domestic legislation to ensure its implementation at national level.

CITES protects 34,000 species, over 29 000 belonging to the plant kingdom, including by subordinating their presentation to the International Trade Customs to permits and certificates proving that their removal was lawful, not detrimental to biodiversity and compatible with the survival of the species from which they originate.
For each species concerned, animal or plant, it relates to the whole specimens, one of their party and the products obtained from plant or animal, whether it's an essential oil, a plant extract or a finished cosmetic product.

Among the CITES cosmetic ingredients:
• musk (secreted by the musk deer and civet)
• ambergris (secreted by the sperm whale)
• caviar (produced by sturgeon): care creams must adhere to the requirements of CITES as soon as they contain 0.01g/kg
• candelilla wax, obtained from the exploitation of Euphorbia (plant of Central America)
• orchids (except artificially propagated hybrids)
• rosewood
• all species of aloe, with the exception of aloe vera …

For further information
• CITES Website