News: In a press release published on January 7, 2020, the FRC denounces the “timidity” of the Swiss Federal Council, and demands, the ban on three ingredients in cosmetic products

In the name of “health risks to which the population is exposed”, the ban on three ingredients is requested in cosmetic products:

  • phenoxyethanol in any product to be applied on the seat for children under 3,
  • titanium dioxide in toothpaste, balms and lipsticks,
  • oils of mineral origin in balms and reds lips.

What are this ingredients?

It depends on countries. In Europe, for exemple:

Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (EU Cosmetics Regulation) is the main regulatory framework for finished cosmetic products placed on the EU market. The legislation includes restrictions on the substances that may, or may not, be included in cosmetic products.

List of banned substances

The list of banned substances is given in the annex II of the EU Cosmetics Regulation. They are not allowed to be used in cosmetic products.

List of restricted substances

The list of restricted substances is given in the annex III of the EU Cosmetics Regulation. They are allowed to be used. However, their use must comply with corresponding use conditions (i.e, content limit, use scope).

Positive lists of cosmetic ingredients

If a substance is not on the list of banned or restricted substances then it is allowed in cosmetic products provided the manufacturer/supplier has the appropriate safety data to ensure the ingredient and the final product is safe.

However, there are some exceptions. Some ingredients with special functions (colorant, preservative or UV filter) are listed on ‘positive lists’. This means that if your products contain those special ingredients, you can only use those ingredients on the positive lists and no other.

These lists can be found in Annexes IV, V and VI to the EU Cosmetics Regulation.

  • Annex IV – approved colours list.
  • Annex V – approved list of preservatives. & Annex VI – approved UV filter.

Above lists can also be found in CosIng – EU’s official cosmetic ingredient database.