We all know it, preservatives are often badly thought of, and regulatory changes are usually not favourable to them… so much that the cosmetics industry is getting concerned and has been issuing warnings on what it calls a crisis. At the 13th edition of the regulatory congress held on November 18-19 in Chartres, France, Sylvie Cupferman made an update on this issue and its implications on behalf of Cosmetics Europe.
Sylvie Cupferman wears two hats. She is both a member of Cosmetics Europe’s Expert Team Product Preservation and the International Director for Microbiology of L’Oréal R&I. She started her presentation on cosmetics preservatives with this observation: ‘We are in the midst of a crisis, both on the European and international levels!’
Cosmetic products preservation
The speaker first reminded how important this issue is.
Cosmetic products must be protected against the growth of microorganisms introduced during manufacturing and continued use in order to maintain their quality and preserve consumers' health. In case of inadequate preservation, these products can become harmful for health, she added, as she mentioned the 18 RAPEX notifications and withdrawals of contaminated products from the market since 2014.
Regulatory requirements
In regulatory texts, this is first conveyed by a particular principle: all cosmetic products (including ingredients), must be safe for human health when applied under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions, and during their entire lifetime.
Since the Cosmetics Regulation came into force, product preservation is a regulatory obligation, in addition to being an ethical obligation. As such, the result of the preservation challenge test must be provided in the Product Information File.
Furthermore, Annex V to the Cosmetics …
