European regulation on beauty and personal care: where are we at?

From the challenges of Brexit, to issues of transparency, to continued progress with animal testing alternatives, we take a look at all the need to know updates this year.

Brexit​

The issue of Brexit rumbles on for the UK, and how it impacts on regulation and trade is an essential focus for the beauty and personal care industry across the region.

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA), the leading UK beauty trade association, has taken a lead on communicating key messages to the wider industry, and representing the industry’s interests during initial talks.

The latest briefing on Brexit from the CTPA is detailed here​.

Naturals​

Making efforts to work across the industry is proving fruitful when it comes to challenges posed by regulation and also by increasing consumer demand for assured transparency and safety.

In June, the NCS TOX Project, a ‘huge project’ for the natural cosmetic and nutraceutical industries, announced its first results.

The aims to create a database of the toxicological profiles and relevant testing information related to natural substances.​​ Further information and contacts are available through the UNITIS website.​

Animal testing​

Collaboration continues to be the key: in animal testing, a new collaborative project was launched recently, looking to improve human safety predictions for consumer products.

Two organisations, non-animal testing lab XCellR8 and dermatological testing company Cutest, have launched the collaborative project, facilitated by a ‘substantial’ grant by Innovate UK.

“This project is an exciting opportunity to develop innovative methods to provide enhanced consumer protection through being able to predict potential irritancy from topically applied ingredients and products,​” the groups said​ in a statement on the announcement of the project.

Events​

Two big events for this year place a central focus on regulation: Cosmetics Europe Week​ and the Open Academy​ from the Cosmetics Consultants Europe (CCE) group.

Cosmetics Europe Week held a successful edition for 2017 in Brussels in June, considering the contribution of cosmetics to wellbeing, and to the European economies, while also delving into the complexities of regulation.

Meanwhile, preparations are in full-swing for the upcoming Open Academy by the CCE. Set to take place in Barcelona, Spain, the Open Academy will see a series of eminent experts from across the industry Europe present on various hot topics.

Highlights include presentations on non-animal testing methods for next generation ingredients, software tools for formulation and regulatory affairs, and CPR, REACH and Brexit. Further information is available here​.

COSMED​

We continue to host monthly guest articles from COSMED, the leading industry association in France. Each piece covers in great detail a topic of central importance for the industry, often with a regulatory focus.

See the group’s piece on REACH cosmetics regulation​ and one giving an international overview on plastic microbeads in cosmetics products​ for two top examples.