During the 19th Perfumes & Cosmetics Congress, which took place in Chartres on December 1st and 2nd, 2021, Ambroise Pascal and Catherine Argoyti, respectively Head of the office of health products and services and deputy in charge of cosmetics and aesthetics of the DGCCRF, presented an overview of the latest actions of their services in the framework of the market surveillance of cosmetic products, with a focus on claims, prohibited substances and nanomaterials. They also unveiled their investigation themes for 2022.
Ambroise Pascal began the presentation with a review of the surveys conducted in 2020.
The 2020 controls
Three themes were programmed:
• Claims, in particular “Organic”, “Natural”, “Free-from…” and “With…”
• Prohibited substances, in particular CMRs
• The use of nanomaterials
However, as 2020 was a year disrupted by the health crisis and the ensuing economic crisis, the initial programme had to be adapted and the inspections redeployed to controls directly related to the health crisis.
In particular, the section on prohibited substances was relatively reduced. And the follow-up policy also took into account the economic situation of the companies (insofar as the non-compliances did not jeopardise consumer safety), especially when the inspectors’ interlocutors showed good faith and good will to comply.
Before discussing the figures for the investigations, Ambroise Pascal made a point of specifying that the DGCCRF’s controls are targeted according to the sectors, the operators and the information available on the subjects controlled. As a result, it is rare that the rates of non-compliance observed are truly representative of the real market situation.
Claims
The controls were preceded by a joint communication with the ANSM which had been the occasion to draw guidelines on “Free-from…” claims.
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