Work on revising the European Commission’s “Sunscreen products” Recommendation began in early summer 2024. At Cosmetic Days, organised by Cosmed on 3 December, Caroline Bassoni, the association’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, presented the current lines of thought and the state of discussions, which will continue over the coming months.
The key objective of the 2006 Recommendation was to guarantee consumer safety and prevent skin cancer as far as possible, by focusing on three key areas:
• Ensuring a sufficient level of sun protection
• Guiding consumers towards the most appropriate product for their protection,
• Advising them on how best to apply their product
This overall objective has not changed today, but the revision of the text seemed necessary because of a number of weaknesses that have emerged since 2006:
• It has the status of non-formal legislation, and although it is fairly well applied and remains a reference throughout the world, it is not legally binding
• It refers to legislation and methods that have become obsolete, since, for example, Regulation 1223/2009 has come into force and new ISO standards have been published
• Its scope is limited to “primary” sunscreens, whereas a large number of care products with SPF, now known as “secondary” sunscreens, have appeared on the market in recent years
• Advice on how to apply the products and how to be careful has not prevented a steady rise in the number of cases of skin cancer, which suggests that communication on this subject could …
