Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Cosmetics Directive

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Made by
  
Council

Date made
  
1976-07-27

Made under
  
Art. 100 (EEC)

Came into force
  
1976-07-30

Title
  
Directive on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to cosmetic products

Journal reference
  
L262, 1976-09-27, pp. 169–200

Council Directive 76/768/EEC of 1976-07-27 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to cosmetic products (as amended) is the main European Union law on the safety of cosmetics. It was made under Art. 100 (ex Art. 94) of the Treaty of Rome. By agreement, it is also applicable in the European Economic Area.

The directive defines a "cosmetic product" as "any substance or preparation intended for placing in contact with the various external parts of the human body (epidermis, hair system, nails, lips and external genital organs) or with the teeth and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity with a view exclusively or principally to cleaning them, perfuming them or protecting them in order to keep them in good condition, change their appearance or correct body odours." (Art. 1.1)

The main part of the directive is the different lists of substances in the annexes:

  • substances that are banned from use in cosmetics (Annex II)
  • substances that are subject to restrictions on their use (Annex III): such substances might only be permitted for certain types of cosmetics, or in certain concentrations, or subject to warning labels, etc.
  • permitted colourings (Annex IV)
  • permitted preservatives (Annex VI)
  • permitted UV filters (Annex VII)
  • The annexes are regularly amended (57 times up until April 2008) to take account of new data on the safety of particular substances.

    Animal testing

    The 7th amendment to the law introduced provisions in relation to animal testing. It introduced a legal requirement to the labelling of 26 specific ingredients at certain concentration thresholds. It also prohibited the animal testing for cosmetic products since 2004 and cosmetic ingredients since March 2009. The amendment also prohibited, since 11 March 2009, to market cosmetic products containing ingredients which have been tested on animals. The amendment does not prohibit companies to use animal testing to fulfill regulatory requirements in other countries.

    References

    Cosmetics Directive Wikipedia