Composition and safety of cosmetic products
The responsible person is responsible for ensuring that cosmetic products are safe for human health.
The EU Regulation on Cosmetic Products restricts the use of certain substances in cosmetics. The restrictions are primarily based on a scientific risk assessment of the ingredients of cosmetic products, conducted by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) of the European Commission.
Use of the following in cosmetics is restricted or regulated:
- Substances prohibited in cosmetic products, such as medicinal substances, pesticides and many organic solvents (Annex II of the EU Regulation on Cosmetic Products).
- Substances which are allowed subject to restrictions. These include restrictions related to maximum concentration and application, for example. A substance may only be allowed in products that are rinsed off, for example.
- Substances on the list of substances allowed for a specific purpose in cosmetics, or so-called positive lists (Other substances may not be used for these purposes):
- colourants allowed in cosmetic products (Annex IV of the EU Regulation on Cosmetic Products)
- preservatives allowed in cosmetic products (Annex V of the EU Regulation on Cosmetic Products)
- UV filters allowed in cosmetic products (Annex VI of the EU Regulation on Cosmetic Products)
- CRM substances
- Nanomaterials.
Please note that the above-listed annexes include substance-specific restrictions and mandatory warning labelling.
If cosmetic products are used in connection with a service, the service provider has a duty to exercise due diligence (Consumer Safety Act 920/2011).
