Responsibility for the Oeko-Tex Standard
100 is shared between the 17 test institutes which make up the
International Oeko-Tex Association, which has branch offices in more
than 40 countries worldwide. The criteria catalogue which forms the
basis for the tests for harmful substances is based on the latest
scientific findings and is continually updated; the human ecological
safety of the textiles tested are more far-reaching every year. The test
criteria and the related test methods are standardized on an
international level and are widely included as guidance in terms and
conditions of purchase and delivery right through to the retail sector.
With a total of over 51,000 certificates issued for millions of
different individual products, and over 6,500 companies involved
worldwide, the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 has become the best known and most
successful label for textiles tested for harmful substances.

The Oeko-Tex label is a recognized benchmark for the consumer and also serves as an additional quality assurance
tool for the manufacturer. The concept has become established as a
safety standard throughout the textile manufacturing chain and enables
checks to be made for any harmful substances at each stage in the
production process. The test samples are tested by the independent
Oeko-Tex institutes for their pH-value, formaldehyde content, the presence of pesticides, extract-able heavy metals,
chlorinated organic carriers and preservatives such as
pentachlorophenol and tetrachlorophenol. The tests also include checks
for any MAC amines in azo dyestuffs and allergy-inducing dyestuffs.

Allergy-inducing dyestuffs are particularly relevant to textiles.
Textile dyes, which can be divided into several types (i.e. disperse,
reactive, acid and direct) are the main causes of textile contact dermatitis.^[1]
There has been an increasing frequency of contact dermatitis to
clothing, in part undoubtedly to the greater awareness of this
condition. Although dyes in clothing may be allergenic, there is a
difference between a patch test,
where the dye is placed directly on the skin, and a dyed textile where
the dye will not transfer as easily to the skin; however, excess dye on a
fabric may be readily available to the skin.^[2] As well as this, the prevalence of sensitization to dyes is quite high among the allergic population. A study in 2003^[3]
indicated that 12.3% of those patch tested were allergic to a dye
and/or resin allergen; the highest incidence of sensitization from the
dye group allergens was due to Disperse Blue 124, 106 and 85; these
Disperse dyes have also been shown to induce purpuric contact
dermatitis.^[4]
Although the presence of allergenic or harmful dyes is of obvious
relevance to clothing, it also has relevance to children's stuffed toys
where the fabric may often be in direct contact with the skin. In the EU
some steps have been taken towards testing for these types of dyes in
toys, embodied in EN71-9, [1] although at present this is a voluntary standard, unlike parts 1–3 of the same standard.

The use of flame retardant and biocidic
finishes is also prohibited in the clothing sector. The certificates
issued are distributed or allocated in line with the international
guidelines and specifications of the Oeko-Tex Test Association.