Make the case without a meeting.
You've done the reading; the person who signs hasn't. This page is the pack you forward — the case in five rows, procurement's questions answered, and the honest edges included, because your credibility rides on ours.
Five rows your decision-maker will actually read
Every statement below is published, sourced and checkable — nothing here asks anyone to take our word for it.
What it is
Five certification marks — Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, Cruelty-Free — issued after a human desk review of formulations, supplier declarations and label artwork. One review can cover several marks against one document set.
What it costs to find out
Nothing. The application is free and so is the quote — one fixed annual figure for the scope you list, valid for 30 days. Nothing is payable until the quote is approved in writing.
How long it takes
Typical desk review: 5–10 business days from complete documentation.
V-Cert service commitment — /how-it-works/ · verified 2026-07-03
How it's checked
Every certificate V-Cert issues — including suspensions and revocations — can be checked on V-Cert's certificate portal by its number or its QR code, with no account.
V-Cert certificate policy — /verify/ and /governance/ · verified 2026-07-27
Accreditation, plainly
V-Cert is an independent certification body and is not ISO/IEC 17065 accredited. What each mark requires and the rules for granting, suspending and withdrawing certificates are published, and every certificate is verifiable by QR code.
V-Cert governance — /governance/ · verified 2026-07-27
When V-Cert is not the right fit
- A specific retailer or market mandates a named third-party program — V-Cert marks are V-Cert’s own, and we claim equivalence to no one. If the mandate names another program, you need that program.
- Your buyer requires an on-site audit. Ours is a remote desk review of documents, formulations and supplier declarations — rigorous, but not a facility walk-through.
- The claim you need is outside our five marks. We certify vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, non-GMO and cruelty-free — nothing else, and we say so at the quote stage.
What waiting actually costs
Not a scare figure — arithmetic. The review itself is measured in days; the long pole is always document gathering and the packaging lead time. Every week the decision waits moves the on-pack date a week, while the claim your buyer asked about stays unanswered on the shelf.
The practical sequence: decide → apply (free) → gather documents at your pace → desk review → certificate issued the day of the decision, its number checkable from that moment. Date the whole plan for your own products with the timeline estimator.
The questions procurement asks, answered in one line
Is there a contract lock-in?
No — certification is annual, renewal is re-confirmed each year for the same scope, and the quote states the whole figure up front.
Can we get an NDA before sending formulations?
Yes — an NDA is available on request, before any documents move.
What happens if the review finds a gap?
The clock pauses while you close it — a gap is never a rejection, and no fee is triggered by it.
How do we verify the certificate is real?
Type its number into the verify page, or scan the QR code printed on the certificate — no account, and no email to us.
What are the payment terms?
Invoice only after written quote approval, in US dollars, by wire or card — no deposits, no pre-payments.
Fee and timeline context across the industry, published rates only: fee index · timeline index.
Put it in front of the person who signs
The email drafts itself in your own mail client, from your own address — a colleague's recommendation, not a vendor's campaign.
Check anything we've said
When the decision lands, one application covers every mark — and the quote arrives before any commitment does.
Typical desk review: 5–10 business days from complete documentation.