“Following the positive opinion of the Regulatory Scrutiny Board, the Commission has drawn up a draft text for the targeted revision of the Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009,” said Hans Ingels. “But this draft is still under discussion, and there are still differences of opinion between the various Commission departments and the Commissioners on a number of points”.

While the extension of the scope of the generic approach to risk management to endocrine disruptors seems to have been agreed (endocrine disruptors will thus be managed in the same way as CMRs at present), three other points appear to be much more controversial: • The extension of this same approach to substances affecting the respiratory system and to substances toxic to a specific organ
• The introduction of the MAF (Mixture Assessment Factor), to take account of the combination effects of chemical substances in water, food additives, toys, detergents and cosmetics
• The principle of essential use, which would mean that a dangerous substance could only be exempted from the ban if it were deemed essential for society, whereas the current system allows this exemption when the substance is assessed as safe for human health.

Another unresolved issue is the possibility of voluntary …