How do I recognize unreliable claims and suppliers?

Professional‑sounding terms are often used for materials for baby products, but they do not demonstrate that a product meets the applicable European safety requirements.

Think of claims such as:

  • CE-certified;
  • FDA-certified;
  • food-grade Silicone;
  • medical-grade Silicone;
  • BPA-free;
  • 100% Silicone;
  • Tested or certified, without further explanation.

When a supplier only uses such terms and cannot demonstrate relevant, independent, product‑specific research, the suitability of baby products is insufficiently substantiated.

A safety claim only has value when it is clear:

  • what exactly has been researched;
  • which products the research relates to;
  • which relevant requirements have been assessed;
  • whether the research was conducted independently;
  • and how the sold products are linked to the research results.

Are loose Beads CE-certified?

No. CE is not a general quality certificate that is awarded to individual Beads.

A CE marking applies to a specific end product that falls under European legislation that requires CE marking. For toys, CE, for example, is the manufacturer's declaration that the complete toy product complies with the applicable safety requirements.

Loose beads sold as material or component for various creations cannot be CE‑certified individually. This is because a loose bead is automatically disqualified as a toy due to choking hazards. If you state this, you don’t really know what you’re talking about.

When a supplier offers its loose beads as “CE-certified,” it is therefore using the term incorrectly. This is an important red flag for the supplier’s knowledge level in the area of product safety and compliance. The European Commission also warns that CE marking is not a voluntary quality mark and may only be used when applicable EU legislation provides for it.

Are ‘food grade’ and ‘medical grade’ sufficient for baby products?

No. These terms are not a substitute for independent research on the relevant European safety requirements for baby products.

‘Food grade’ relates to suitability for a particular type of food contact. It does not indicate that a silicone bead or component has been tested according to the relevant requirements of, for example, EN 71 or REACH.

Even “medical grade” does not prove that a material is suitable for use in pacifier chains, teething rings or other baby items. It concerns a different application and, without further specifications and studies, provides insufficient information about the requirements that apply to the offered product.

A material can be both food grade and medical grade, and can also be tested separately according to relevant European safety requirements. However, the supplier must be able to substantiate each of those tests individually.

Can a supplier only show a food-grade or medical-grade declaration? That does not demonstrate that the product meets the relevant safety requirements for baby products.

What does ‘FDA-certified’ mean?

Even “FDA-certified” is a Red flag at Silicone beads.

The FDA is an American regulatory authority. Any American assessments or approvals relate to American regulations and to a specific substance, manufacturer, and application. They do not prove that a product complies with European regulations for baby products.

Moreover, “FDA certified” is often not the correct official status. The FDA itself warns that terms such as “FDA Certified” and “FDA Registration Certificate” can be used misleadingly. For food‑contact substances, the FDA works with specific authorizations and notifications, with conditions that apply to the manufacturer, the substance and its use.

But even a valid US FDA authorization:

  • does not count as proof of compliance with European Regulations;
  • does not replace research into relevant EN 71 requirements;
  • does not replace REACH documentation;
  • says nothing about EN 12586;
  • and does not prove that a complete baby product is mechanically Safe.

For products sold in Europe, the applicable European regulations must be complied with. An American statement can at most be supplementary information, but it can never replace the required European substantiation.

Is ‘BPA-free’ sufficient proof of safety?

No. BPA-free is just a single material property.

It says nothing about other regulated substances, possible migration, the dyes used, traceability, or the mechanical safety of a component or end product.

The same applies to claims such as:

  • free of PVC;
  • free of phthalates;
  • lead-free;
  • niet-giftig;
  • natural;
  • 100% Safe.

Such claims must be demonstrably substantiated and do not replace a broader assessment of the relevant safety requirements. We have some of these claims online, but we can substantiate them.

What if a supplier only has a factory certificate?

A declaration from a factory is not the same as an independent laboratory test.

You must be able to demonstrate that the products you place on the market fall within the scope of the available documentation. You cannot rely on research that a factory once conducted for another customer or product variant without your own substantiation.

Purchasing products from the same factory as another supplier does not grant the right to use that other supplier's research results either.

The composition, colorants, formulation, production method or raw material may vary per customer, order or execution. Each importer remains responsible for their own products, technical documentation and traceability.

What if a supplier does NOT know EN 71, EN 12586, or REACH?

Not every standard applies in the same way to every material, component, or end product. However, a professional supplier of materials for baby products can be expected to know which European regulations and safety standards may be relevant.

It is a serious Red flag when a supplier:

  • exclusively refers to food grade, medical grade or FDA;
  • does not know what EN 71, EN 12586 or REACH entail;
  • cannot explain which studies relate to his products;
  • makes no distinction between a Loose component and a finished product;
  • or says that every end product is automatically Safe as soon as its materials are used.

If a supplier demonstrably misuses the basic concepts, it is justified to doubt whether the underlying safety assessment, documentation, and traceability are in order.

Are Disney, Marvel, and other branded characters legal?

Not without the permission of the rights holder.

Famous characters, logos and distinctive designs, for example from Disney, Marvel, Starbucks and other brands, may be protected by copyrights, trademark rights and/or design rights.

A supplier may not simply copy, have them manufactured, import, or sell such designs. In principle, permission or a valid license from the rights holder is required.

The following products are therefore an important Red flag:

  • Beads in the form of recognizable Disney or Marvel characters;
  • Beads with a Starbucks logo or a design that closely resembles it;
  • products with well-known brand names or logos;
  • recognizable characters whose brand name is deliberately avoided;
  • descriptions like “mouse princess,” “superhero,” or “coffee logo” while the protected design remains clearly recognizable.

A supplier claiming that such products are officially licensed must be able to prove this convincingly. Consider a verifiable license, permission from the rights holder, or a traceable distribution chain. We know that Disney, Marvel, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Starbucks and others have explicitly not issued licenses for silicone beads. All these beads are therefore illegal.

Why does trademark infringement also say something about product safety?

An infringement of intellectual property rights does not independently prove the chemical properties of a product. However, it does say a lot about the professionalism and reliability of the supplier.

A company that knowingly imports or sells products for which it has no permission apparently also does not take other legal obligations seriously. That gives serious grounds to doubt:

  • the reliability of the origin;
  • the accuracy of factory declarations;
  • the independence of test documentation;
  • the traceability of the product;
  • the control of the supply chain;
  • and compliance with European product safety regulations.

Moreover, counterfeit goods form a well-known category within intercepted illegal trade; toys are also included. EUIPO/OECD – trade in counterfeits via e-commerce. Jootjes is especially familiar with this regulation because we also have multiple designs that we have filed with the EUIPO to protect our intellectual property.

What should I pay attention to then?

A reliable supplier:

  • uses safety terms correctly;
  • maakt geen misleidende CE- of FDA-claims;
  • used food grade or medical grade not as a substitute for relevant European research;
  • has independent, product-specific substantiation;
  • can explain which documentation relates to which products;
  • ensures traceability through articles, Orders, and invoices;
  • understands the difference between components and finished products;
  • pays attention to both chemical and mechanical risks;
  • and does not sell protected brand characters without a demonstrable license.

Safety claims are only valuable when they are factually correct, independently substantiated, and demonstrably linked to the product you actually purchase.