Textile Certifications Explained: OEKO-TEX, GOTS, and More

Take a look at a few clothing tags and you’ll probably spot at least one certification logo. A little green leaf, a checkmark, the word “certified” in a serious font. But what do those logos actually mean?

If you’ve ever wondered what OEKO-TEX certification means, or what it takes for a garment to be GOTS certified, you’re asking the right question. And here’s the good news: telling a meaningful certification from decoration is easier than you might think.

What Does OEKO-TEX Certification Mean?

OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 is a certification for finished textile products. It means the garment itself, not just the raw fiber, was lab-tested against limits for a wide range of substances.

The certification comes in classes, and Class I is the strictest. It’s written for products intended for babies and children under three, which can make it a helpful benchmark if you have sensitive skin.

What Does It Mean to Be GOTS Certified?

GOTS (the Global Organic Textile Standard) answers a different question: how the textile was made.

A qualifying product must contain at least 95% organic content, and the standard adds environmental and social criteria along the supply chain. So while OEKO-TEX is about substances in the finished garment, GOTS is about organic content and production practices.

How Can You Tell If a Certification Is Genuine?

Here’s the rule that separates meaningful certifications from decoration: a real certification comes with a number you can look up.

Any brand can print a leaf on a tag. What a brand can’t do is produce a valid certificate number that checks out in an independent registry.

Verifying takes less than a minute:

Find the number. A genuine OEKO-TEX or GOTS label should include a certificate or license number, usually printed near the logo.

Look it up for free. You can verify OEKO-TEX numbers through the OEKO-TEX Label Check and GOTS license numbers through the GOTS certified suppliers database.

Check the details. Certificates renew annually, so make sure the one you find is current and matches the type of product you’re holding.

If a logo appears without a number, treat it as marketing rather than proof. That doesn’t make the garment a bad choice! It just means the logo isn’t giving you verifiable information.

What About the Fiber Content Itself?

Certifications tell you about substances and production practices, but they don’t confirm that the fiber content on the label matches what’s actually in the fabric.

Lynen helps you go beyond the label by checking fiber composition against independent testing when verification is available.

You don’t need to memorize every certification out there. Look for the number, check it in a free database, and you’ll be able to tell meaningful certifications from decoration wherever you shop.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does OEKO-TEX Standard 100 mean?

It means the finished textile product was lab-tested against limits for a wide range of substances. Every genuine certificate carries a number you can verify for free through the OEKO-TEX Label Check.

What does GOTS certified mean?

GOTS requires qualifying products to contain at least 95% organic content and adds environmental and social criteria along the supply chain. Genuine GOTS products carry a license number you can check in the standard’s public supplier database.

How can you verify a clothing certification?

Look for a certificate or license number near the logo, then check it in the certifying organization’s free online database. A logo without a number can’t be verified.