How to Verify a GOTS Certificate in Five Minutes (Step by Step)

To verify a GOTS certification, find the license number and certifier printed next to the GOTS logo, then enter that number in the free-text search of the GOTS Certified Suppliers Database at global-standards.org. Check that the certificate holder, certification body, expiry date and product categories match the product you're buying. No number, no proof.

You turn the pillowcase over and find the little green GOTS logo. It looks official. But a logo is a picture, and anyone can print a picture. The license number beside it is what you can actually check, and checking it takes about five minutes once you know where to look.

I still have the cheap "silk" pillowcase I bought years before chemo. It's worn thin and coming apart now. During chemo I used it on a tiny half-size pillow and carried it to treatments and ER visits. I looked at better silk pillowcases then, and I didn't buy one, because I couldn't be sure of the quality. The first time I saw a certificate number printed next to a fabric, I said it out loud: yes. Finally I could know what this was made of. So here's how to check one yourself.

What does a real GOTS label have to show?

A complete GOTS label has four parts, and the Global Organic Textile Standard (version 7.0, section 2.7.4) requires all of them:

1. A label grade: "organic" or "made with organic" (more on the difference below).
2. The GOTS logo.
3. A reference to the certifier: the approved certification body that certified the goods, usually written as "certified by" and the certifier's name.
4. The license number of the certified entity.

GOTS's own consumer advice says it plainly: "Do you want to be sure that a product is really GOTS certified? Please check for complete labelling." Then check the database.

A GOTS license number is the number the approved certifier assigns to a certified company. It's stated on that company's scope certificate, and it's the key you use to look the company up. If a product or website shows the logo with no license number and no certifier, you have nothing to verify.

How do I search the GOTS public database?

GOTS publishes every certificate holder in its Certified Suppliers Database, now hosted at global-standards.org (the older global-standard.org address redirects there). The search box is a free-text field. GOTS's labelling conditions describe exactly this use: entering the license number into the free-text field brings up the certified company's data.

Here's the walkthrough.

1. Find the number. Look on the label, hang tag, packaging or product page for the license number and the certifier's name beside the GOTS logo. Write both down.
2. Open the database. Go to global-standards.org/suppliers/certified-suppliers.
3. Search the license number. Type the number exactly into the free-text search field. A license number is more precise than a company name, because names can be similar or translated.
4. Open the matching entry. Look at the certificate holder's details.
5. Match the certifier. The certification body on the record should match the certifier named on the label.
6. Check the dates. Make sure the certificate is still valid. GOTS requires certified companies to go through an annual on-site inspection cycle and hold a valid certificate, so an expired one is a warning sign.
7. Check the product categories. This is the step most people skip, and it matters most. See the next section.
8. Ask for the link. If the certificate holder is a different company from the brand selling to you, ask the brand how the two are connected.

If the number returns nothing, try again carefully. GOTS notes that certification bodies are still updating records in the new database, so a missing entry is a reason to ask the brand or the certifier, not proof of fraud. A real certificate holder should be able to show you its scope certificate.

What does a GOTS scope certificate show?

A scope certificate (SC) is the document a certification body issues to a company that has passed its GOTS inspection. GOTS describes it as confirming "that the holder is able to produce textile goods of the kinds listed on the Products Appendix."

A typical GOTS scope certificate shows:

• The certification body that issued it.
• The certified company (the certificate holder), with its address.
• The license number of that company.
• The product categories it's certified for, listed on the Products Appendix.
• The processes it's certified to carry out, such as weaving, dyeing, manufacturing or trading.
• The label grade, "organic" or "made with organic."
• A "valid until" date.

GOTS also notes that the individual inspected facilities are listed on a facility appendix of the scope certificate, and their names aren't shown in the public database.

Why does the product category matter?

A scope certificate only covers the kinds of products listed on it. A company certified for fabric is certified for fabric. A company certified for pillowcases is certified for pillowcases. Neither scope automatically covers an eye mask or a scrunchie.

So when you look up a license number, don't stop at "yes, it exists." Read the categories and ask: does this cover the thing in my hand? A real certificate attached to the wrong product category is still the wrong certificate.

My husband, Cooper, has a fine print story. When we coached a team together in college, we had a playoff game where we were listed as the home team, even though we were the ones traveling. At midfield, 20 minutes before kickoff, Cooper told the much older coach that we'd choose to sit on his side. So the other team's parents moved out of the shade and into the sun. We won 2 to 1. Certificates work the same way. The advantage goes to whoever reads the whole thing.

What is the difference between a scope certificate and a transaction certificate?

• Scope certificate (SC): says a company is certified and able to produce or trade the product categories listed. It's about the company.
• Transaction certificate (TC): proves that specific goods meet GOTS criteria. GOTS says TCs are issued by the seller's certification body and "list the individual (batches of) products and relevant shipment details."

GOTS scope certificates say it directly: proof of GOTS certification of goods delivered is provided by a valid transaction certificate covering them. A scope certificate on its own shows capability. A transaction certificate ties certification to an actual shipment.

Transaction certificates move between businesses in the supply chain. They contain commercial shipment details and aren't listed in the public database. For shoppers, the scope certificate is the public check.

What is the difference between "organic" and "made with organic"?

GOTS has two label grades:

• "Organic": at least 95% certified organic fiber (GOTS 7.0, section 2.7.5).
• "Made with organic": at least 70% certified organic fiber (section 2.7.6). Showing the exact percentage is optional.

One more detail: under GOTS's own labelling conditions, "100% Organic" isn't a permitted label grade. If you see it inside a GOTS label, look closer. For what organic means for silk in particular, read what organic silk is.

What are the red flags on a GOTS claim?

• A GOTS logo with no license number. The license number is a required part of the label. Without it, nothing can be checked.
• An expired certificate. Check the "valid until" date.
• A certificate held by a different company with no traceable link. Brands often source from certified makers. That can be fine, but the brand should be able to tell you who holds the certificate and how its products connect to it.
• "GOTS certified" when only the supplier is. GOTS certifies the operators in a supply chain. If a brand isn't a certified entity itself, it shouldn't call itself "GOTS certified."
• A category mismatch. A fabric-only or pillowcase-only scope doesn't cover an eye mask.

That fourth flag is exactly why we word our own claim the way we do.

Why does a brand need its own GOTS Trader certification?

GOTS 7.0 (section 2.2.1) requires the processors, makers and traders of GOTS goods to become GOTS Certified Entities. Only a certified entity may apply GOTS labelling to a product, and the label must be released by that entity's certifier.

The exemptions are narrow. GOTS's Conditions for the Use of GOTS Signs and its trader guidance limit them to sellers who don't repack, relabel or otherwise process the goods, and repacking or relabelling counts as a processing step that requires certification. GOTS also states that any claim, advertisement or reference to GOTS can only be made if the final retail product carries the complete GOTS labelling.

For a brand that designs its own labels and packaging, the honest path is to get certified itself.

Is Wink Silk GOTS certified?

Not yet, and I'd rather say so here than have you find it in the database. Wink Silk is pursuing its own GOTS Trader and OEKO-TEX certifications. Until that's complete, here's exactly what's true: every Wink piece is crafted by a GOTS & OEKO-TEX certified silk house, and that silk house holds GOTS license 00284622.

Here's how to check it yourself, right now. It's the one thing I'd ask you to do after reading this.

1. Search 00284622 in the GOTS Certified Suppliers Database.
2. You'll see the certificate holder's name. That's our silk house. We don't name them here, but the database will.
3. Note the certification body named on the record. That's who certified the silk house.
4. Check the "valid until" date.
5. Read the product categories and processes, and look for categories that cover each type of piece you're considering: pillowcases, eye masks and scrunchies.

If anything you see doesn't match what we've told you, hello@winksilk.com reaches us. I want to know.

"I couldn't verify the quality of any of the silk that was out there. And because of my health conditions, I have to be sure. So I built what I needed." We evaluated 15 silk makers before choosing ours, and the license number above is the result: a number you can check instead of a logo you have to trust.

GOTS certified fiber origin is one of the four parts of Performance Luxury Silk™, our own standard, not an industry certification: 25 momme, Grade 6A, 100% mulberry silk, and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (certificates 22.HCN.30712 for pillowcases and 19.HCN.84688 for the Voile™ eye mask and Soie™ scrunchies). The founding Douceur Doublure™ is 330 hand-numbered pieces, never restocked. Returns are free for 30 days from delivery, used or not, and founding orders can be cancelled for a full refund any time before they ship. For every other check you can run on us, see is Wink Silk legit. For how silk fakes get past shoppers, see real silk vs fake silk, our GOTS certified silk pillowcase guide and GOTS vs OEKO-TEX.

Wink. The brand that shows you the certificates.

Sleep beautifully.

Sources

• GOTS: Certification
• GOTS: Label Grades
• GOTS: Security Advice for Consumers (PDF)
• Global Organic Textile Standard, version 7.0 (PDF)
• GOTS: Conditions for the Use of GOTS Signs, version 3.1 (PDF)
• GOTS: Selling GOTS Goods information sheet (PDF)
• GOTS: Advisory on Trader Certification (PDF)
• GOTS Implementation Manual 7.0, second revision draft (PDF)
• Example GOTS Scope Certificate, January 2026 (PDF), used for certificate structure only
• Oregon Tilth: Requirements for GOTS Labels and Transaction Certificates

Frequently Asked Questions