Fighting against the invasion of rodents and insects in cosmetics companies’ production premises is an obligation imposed by GMP standard ISO 22716, and also a guarantee of the quality of the products manufactured. At the first Rencontres de la Qualité Cosmétique, a conference on cosmetic quality organized on March 30 by IFIS (French Training Institute for Healthcare Professionals) and FEBEA (French Federation of Beauty Companies), Mélissa Armanini, Quality Engineer for perfumes at Guerlain, made an update on this issue.
When it comes to pests in cosmetics Good Manufacturing Practices, insects and rodents (mice, rats, field mice…) are mentioned, as well as crawling animals (spiders, ants, cockroaches…), and flying animals (flies, mosquitoes, wasps…), whose invasion of a company’s premises can induce a risk in terms of product quality and/or consumer health.
A whole paragraph is dedicated to pests in GMP standard ISO 22716, and this issue is also tackled in hygiene and public health standards: as a result, it is crucial to make the arrangements necessary to avoid their presence.
‘Generally speaking, and even if they may take care of it themselves, manufacturers prefer to use a specialized subcontractor,’ Mélissa Armanini explains. ‘In this case, the most important is to define specifications and have them signed by all stakeholders. Obviously, they should comprise a part on commercial issues, but most importantly, a part focused on quality to clarify the needs and requirements for the service provided.’
Stakeholders’ responsibilities
Every stakeholder involved in this agreement on pest management should meet a number of requirements.
Manufacturer’s responsibilities
It is not because a manufacturer uses a service provider that they should not take action. They should:
• Update and record the documentation necessary (maps …
