One of the main objectives CoValence had in establishing our own Regulatory Department in 2007 was to help our clients succeed in exporting to countries around the world. The biggest obstacle for many of our clients has been adapting their products to meet the EU requirements, which has established many of the industry standards in cosmetic regulations.

Over the past few years many of our clients have endured a number of changes so their products can be sold in the EU. Naturally we were curious to see what changes were in store when they announced the Recast of the Cosmetic Legislation last November. The official statement as to the goal of the recast states:

“This regulation aims at simplifying procedures and streamlining terminology, thereby reducing administrative burden and ambiguities. Moreover, it strengthens certain elements of the regulatory framework for cosmetics, such as in-market control, with a view to ensuring a high level of protection of human health. It simplifies the rules and procedures for the marketing and safety of cosmetics.”

What does this mean to you, our clients? In most cases the changes will be unnoticeable from your product standpoint. Here are some of the key changes you should be aware of in the recast of the legislation:

Strengthening In-Market Control: It creates a single notification system that will replace various national procedures – this will simplify your registrations. It also adds market surveillance provisions between authorities which will help in overall product safety and responsibility.

Common Criteria for Product Claims: Only the real effect of a product can be mentioned on a label – it should be noted this is a work in process.

Strict Treatment of CMR Substances:  Basically a stronger enforcement of prohibited substances for cosmetics.

Nanomaterials:  They are introducing strict measures for products with Nanomaterials that will include a compulsory notification, assessment and labeling of any product that has Nanomaterials present. This controversial issue is sure to be debated during the coming years.

These are just the main points, obviously there is much more to the text. If you have any questions on this or any other regulatory issue please bring it to our attention.