What the desk can and cannot say
Ouvare is a sourcing desk. It does not hold product certificates, a manufacturing licence or an export permit of its own, and it does not present the certificates of a partner workshop as its own. What it does is collect the documents that the material and the destination require, check them against the lot, and pass them to the buyer with the shipment. Which documents exist depends on the line and the market, so this page describes the categories and the rules by name. Specific certificate numbers and issuing bodies are shared per project, never on this website.
Agarwood and CITES
Every species in the genus Aquilaria is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Appendix II does not ban trade; it requires that international trade is documented and shown to be legal. For incense beads that contain agarwood, an export document from the country of export accompanies each lot, and the importing country may ask for an import permit or a notification, according to its own rules. For cultivated material from Guangdong or Hainan and for imported lots, the desk asks the workshop for the purchase record that links the powder to the document. The buyer should always check the import rule for their own country before ordering. Details are on CITES agarwood export documents.
Sandalwood and origin statements
Santalum album is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN but is not a CITES Appendix species. The supply is limited by law instead: India restricts the export of sandalwood, and the common legal source for buyers is Australian plantation wood. Some lots use legally sourced Indian wood. For this reason the desk provides an origin statement for each lot and describes beads by their actual source. The trade term Laoshan is not a certification and is not used as a quality claim. See the sandalwood guide.
Ingredient declarations and metal findings
The standard bead recipe uses natural powders, nanmu bark powder and honey, with no synthetic fragrance oil and no industrial glue. This is confirmed in writing and appears as an ingredient declaration per lot that a buyer can use for labelling. If an addition is agreed, such as a botanical accent, it is added to the declaration before production.
Metal parts are a different matter. Silver spacers, clasps, charms and cord fittings fall under the rules of the destination. The common rules to know by name are the EU REACH restriction on nickel release from items in prolonged skin contact and the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) limits on lead and cadmium in children's products. The desk requests a material declaration for each finding, such as 925 silver or copper with silver plating, and arranges a laboratory test if the market or the retailer needs one; see testing and inspection. This site does not quote limit values; the buyer or the laboratory confirms the current text of each rule.
Document summary
| Topic | Rule or basis | Document supplied per lot |
|---|---|---|
| Agarwood powder or beads | CITES Appendix II, Aquilaria | Export document, purchase record link |
| Sandalwood powder or beads | Origin; Indian export restrictions | Origin statement |
| Recipe | Labelling and customs entry | Ingredient declaration |
| Silver or plated parts | EU REACH nickel; US CPSIA lead and cadmium | Material declaration, laboratory report if required |
| Product wording | No health-benefit claims | Approved copy for packaging and listings |
Claims policy
Incense is a sensory product. Ouvare does not write or supply copy that says an incense bead prevents, relieves or improves any health condition. Descriptions are limited to scent, craft, material and what the product is traditionally associated with, in cautious terms such as many users describe the scent as calming. Buyers who write their own packaging should keep to the same line, since regulators and platforms look at claims closely. The desk will gladly review copy before print.
How to verify a document
- Check that the document names the same species, quantity and exporter as the lot paperwork.
- Check the date and validity period against the shipping date.
- Ask for the issuing authority's contact or verification route and confirm it with the issuer.
- Compare the purchase record with the powder weight used for the lot.
- For laboratory reports, confirm the laboratory, report number and scope with the laboratory itself.
Documents are shared before shipment so that a buyer or a customs broker can check them. For timing, read MOQ and lead time, and to ask for a document list for your program, use the quote form.