Following the various warnings on its strong allergenic potential and the Opinions of the SCCS (Scientific Committee for Consumer Safety), which recommends strict limitations, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on its proposals to make regulations evolve as regards Methylisothiazolinone (MI), a preservative that is still widely used in cosmetics… and it aims to ‘postpone’ a certain number of the measures expected.
The consultation concerns
'any interested parties, including authorities of the Member States, manufacturers of cosmetic products, producers of the substances concerned and relevant industry and consumers associations.'
It aims to modify regulations on Methylisothiazolinone, and in particular provide for more important limitations, both in terms of concentration and for the categories of cosmetics where its use would be authorized.
It has been open since July 29 and will remain so until October 23, 2015.
This phase in the status change of this preservative has been expected for several years. In the meantime, there have been an increasing number of warnings on its strong allergenic potential, and the Opinions of the SCCS, all convergent, reinforced the certainty that it needs to be strictly limited, or even banned. Today, it seems it will take longer than could have been hoped.
Background
The European Commission presents the context of its current regulation proposal as follows.
Methylisothiazolinone (MI) is authorized as a preservative in cosmetics products through Annex V/57 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 at maximum concentration of 0.01% (100ppm).
The same regulation also authorizes the mixture of Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) and Methylisothiazolinone (MI) that is currently allowed as a preservative in all cosmetic products …
