The atmosphere was a little tense at the 13th edition of the regulatory congress held last November 18-19 in Chartres, France, when it was the French supervisory authorities’ turn to speak. Indeed, following various remarks or requests from the participants, the DGCCRF (French General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control) and ANSM (French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety) representatives started their presentations with a few clarifications.
‘Neither friends, nor enemies’: here is how one could sum up the message the DGCCRF and the ANSM were determined to deliver to the cosmetics industry when they started their own presentations. And it is Raphaëlle Bove, Director of the Health and Cosmetics Office of the DGCCRF, who came to talk on behalf of both supervisory authorities.
‘I do not mean to spoil the mood’,
she said, but she did take the time to give a few reminders following ‘
a few discussions and questions’
raised during the congress.
Here are the messages she wanted to deliver to the cosmetics industry.
We are supervisory authorities, not audit or consulting agencies. But that does not make us dull-witted, and our inspectors and investigators endeavour to make their inspections as educational as possible, including when they draft reports, in particular by reminding industry players of regulations.
We are entitled to carry out inspections as market surveillance authorities, mainly to guarantee consumers’ safety and health, but also for you, the industry: the cosmetics sector is far from insignificant from an economic standpoint, it is flourishing and growing, and it represents France all around the world, so it is also in your best interest …
