On 30 October 2024, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced that a pilot enforcement project had revealed that 6% of cosmetic products contained hazardous substances banned under the POPs and REACH Regulations.
The national enforcement authorities in 13 European Economic Area (EEA) countries checked nearly 4500 cosmetic products, mainly looking at the ingredients list, for the presence of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), long chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) and related substances, and cyclic siloxanes D4 and D5.
The authorities found that 285 of the inspected cosmetics included hazardous chemicals whose use is banned in these products. Those found were:
• Perfluorononyl dimethicone
• Perfluorooctylethyl triethoxysilane
• Perfluorononylethyl carboxydecyl PEG-10 dimethicone; and
• Cyclopentasiloxane (D5), cyclomethicone (a blend of D4, D5 and D6), cyclotetrasiloxane (D4).
These substances are not allowed in cosmetics because they have been identified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) or (very) persistent, (very) bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT/vPvB) that adversely affect human health and the environment. Their use is banned under the Stockholm Convention on POPs or restricted under the REACH Regulation.
Based on national experience perfluorononyl dimethicone was primarily found in eyeliners and lipliners, in pencil or crayon form. D4 and D5 were found in hair conditioners and hair masks.
For example, perfluorononyl dimethicone degrades into PFOA and long chain perfluorocarboxylic acids. PFOA and siloxanes, D4 and D5, break down slowly in the environment and build up in humans and other species. …
