Dangerous compounds, particularly for reproduction (phthalates and other endocrine disrupters), are at the heart of the debate on the safety of cosmetics. Roselyne Bachelot, Minister of Health, has just pointed the finger at them, questioning the possibility of affixing a logo to products containing them indicating that they"are not recommended to pregnant women and young children", and announcing some measures to better know and avoid them.
26 November 2008 "The precautionary principle cannot be a principle of inaction." During the symposium"Chemical environment, reproduction and child development" held on 25 November in Paris, Roselyne Bachelot echoed the growing number of voices in the scientific community denouncing the effects of certain chemical substances, even at very low doses.
A logo warning against reprotoxic products will certainly not be affixed to the cosmetics concerned as of tomorrow (the minister specified that the measure was"to be negotiated with industry"…), but already, the INPES (Institut national de prévention et d'éducation pour la santé) has been seized and should orchestrate, for pregnant women and health professionals, an information campaign on the potential risks related to the use during pregnancy of certain chemical substances.
In line of fire: RMCs and cocktails
At the same time, Roselyne Bachelot announced her intention to order from Inserm (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale)"a collective expertise on the mutagenesis and reprotoxicity of chemicals, in particular products classified CMR3" (Carcinogens, Mutagens, Category 3 Reprotoxics, see the explanation of this term in the Cosmetic glossary ), and stated that it would intervene at European level'to ensure that the quantitative and qualitative composition of cosmetics is …
