It is a shampoo that looks like a mini-bottle of milk … or a refill of cream that comes in a small bottle like you see some stewed fruit … It is friendly and playful, sometimes even green. But is it safe? This is not the opinion of the European SCCS (Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety) which has opened a public consultation on potential health risks posed by chemicals consumer products (read: mostly household products and cosmetics) resembling food and/or having child-appealing properties.
This public consultation rely on a SCCS Opinon of 14 December 2010 .
The work of this committee of experts was based on a finding: "Chemical consumer products resembling food and/or having child-appealing properties, such as shower gels, shampoos, body lotions, soaps, liquid soaps and dish-washing liquids
are common on the European market. These products resemble foodstuffs or are childappealing due to their shape, colour, appearance, odour, consistence, packaging or other characteristics. In particular, chemical consumer products, resembling food and/or having child-appealing properties may lead consumers and especially vulnerable people, such as children or elderly people, to ingest them. Be it because of their inherent toxicity properties, be it from other characteristics (viscosity, foaming potential, vomiting induction potential) ingestion of these products may pose a risk to the health of consumers".
A risk difficult to assess
In its opinion, SCCS point out that it is difficult to determine the level of potential health risk of such products, due to a considerable number of elements to be taken into account. These include the inherent toxicity properties of the ingredients, the non-chemical attributes of the product, the amounts of product ingested, the probability that the product is confused with food or attracts …
