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CIFA Confédération Internationale de la Formation et de l'Esthétique
The pond at Wylihof with the Jura mountains beyond

Providing orientation through global frameworks

Standards

Standards are the foundation of any lasting assurance of quality. They create orientation, comparability and trust across national and cultural boundaries.

CIFA acts here not as a regulatory authority but as an independent international reference institution. Its standards are systems of orientation: they respect existing national rules while enabling international comparability.

Recognised standards

As a basis for certification, CIFA recognises the body of standards of the BSO — Beauty Standardisation Organisation. The committee was convened in 2002 by the Verein für anerkannte Normung in Berlin, drawing on members from industry, teaching and research. Its work produced BSO2004 and BSO2008, and their successor BSO2011.

StandardTitleEditionReleasedReplaces
BSO2011Quality management systems — quality proceduresBSO2011:2026/1 rev 2.18 June 2026BSO2011:2012/3 rev 1.6
BSO2079Hygiene management for person-related services — German Hygiene SealBSO2079:2026/1 rev 2.09 March 2026BSO 2079:2021

Publisher of the standards: Verein für anerkannte Normung, Berlin. Publication and distribution: Bundesverband Kosmetik und Fußpflegebetriebe Deutschlands e.V., Unter den Linden 21, 10117 Berlin.

Core areas

Education standards

Fundamental requirements for training structures, content and levels of qualification.

Quality standards

Frameworks safeguarding professional processes, institutional integrity and lasting quality.

Ethical guidelines

Principles for responsible, transparent and respectful professional conduct.

Recognition principles

Criteria for the assessment, certification and institutional recognition of organisations and institutions.

What a certification confirms — and what it does not

The recognised standards are private, voluntarily applicable association standards. They are not DIN, EN or ISO standards and carry no governmental authorisation. Statutory, regulatory and other legal requirements always take precedence.

A certification confirms solely conformity with the respective standard, within the defined scope and at the point in time assessed. We state this plainly because clarity about the reach of a recognition is part of its credibility.

Standards create trust.
Trust creates quality.