Given the consumer demand for more natural products and the power of the active substances obtained from botanical extracts, the cosmetics industry cannot do without raw materials derived from plants. However, due to their complexity, it remains quite challenging to assess the safety of these ingredients. Carine Tornier, of Episkin, and Fanny Boislève, of Yves Rocher, shared their experiences at the 27th European Dermocosmetology Days held by the CED (European Centre of Dermocosmetology) in Lyon, France, in May 2015.
Fanny Boislève, chemist and PhD in Toxicology, assesses the safety of ingredients for the Rocher Group. She started her presentation by providing a background on this issue.
She reminded that just like any other cosmetic ingredient, the toxicological safety of raw materials of plant origin must be assessed to validate the safety for cosmetic use. And the power of plants should not be underestimated: they are known for being rich in active molecules, some of which are used in applications in the pharmaceutical sector, like salicylic acid, the base of aspirin derived from the willow tree, or paclitaxel, which is obtained from the yew tree and used as an anti-cancer substance.
Between complexity and the absence of any method
In cosmetics, several types of effects and various levels of toxicity must be taken into account following the application of a product on the skin:
• Irritation: quick local effect which can be easily identified
• Sensitization and allergy: slow, local systemic effect which usually requires several applications and cannot be easily identified
• Systemic effect: slow effect which requires several applications and cannot be easily identified
“Assessing the local toxicity of a finished product is absolutely not sufficient to determine …
