Subhead

February 1, 2018, Stuttgart, Germany

Abstract

The LMC Cosmetics Conference on February 1, 2018, offered information on cosmetics law and neighboring legal fields. Fundamental changes were made to cosmetics law in Switzerland in May 2017. Although closely oriented to EU law, Swiss cosmetics law has several exceptions and special features. A closer look at cosmetics monitoring revealed that the product information file serves as the central document and that it is inspected in part on location during site inspection and in part during document review by the responsible inspectors. Additionally, it became clear that monitoring of banned substances in cosmetic products and the definition of technical unavoidability of these substances is a further challenge. Recording of serious undesirable effects of cosmetic products in accordance with EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 in the product information file and reporting to the responsible authorities were presented. A serious undesirable effect would, for example, be the occurrence of restricted functioning in the user, the necessity for a hospital visit or imminent risk to life. The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) is an independent body of the EU Commission tasked with analyzing the risk associated with cosmetics ingredients and advising the EU Commission on scientific issues related to consumer safety. The SCCS has compiled and published guidelines for evaluation of cosmetics ingredients and finished cosmetics products. These guidelines are currently in their ninth revision. Different aspects of selecting raw materials for a cosmetics agent were examined. The question of “who is liable when?” in regard to responsibilities within the supply chain was clearly elucidated.