As the European Commission has concerns about their use in cosmetic products, especially for eyelash growth, it invites any interested parties to submit any scientific information relevant to the safety assessment of prostaglandins and their analogues in the framework of Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009. This call for data is opnened until 21 October 2020.
In 2018, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) informed the European Commission that cosmetic products intended to promote the growth of eyelashes were increasingly available on the market. These eyelash growth treatments contain substances such as prostaglandins or their analogues.
According to the BfR’s assessment, the use of prostaglandins and their analogues as components of cosmetic products may include health risks for consumers. Prostaglandin analogues are also used in drugs to reduce ocular hypertension. Increased eyelash growth has been observed as a side effect, and furthermore, other adverse effects have been found.
As a result of this communication, EU countries’ competent authorities were invited to participate in a survey on products for eyelash growth containing prostaglandins and their analogues. The information collected helped to identify an uneven situation in terms of applicable regulatory framework (e.g. cosmetic products or medicinal products). Furthermore, several cases of serious undesirable health effects were recorded in many EU countries.
Last December 2019 the sub-working group on borderline products assessed this topic and considered that a SCCS opinion would be useful to assess the safety (or lack of) of those products.
The substances involved
• Prostaglandins (CAS: 13345-50-1)
• Isopropyl Cloprostenate (CAS: 157283-66-4)
• …
