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Skin, skin, skin, and the European Commission

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The European Commission has released a ‘guidance’ document on the use of nanomaterials in cosmetics. More specifically (from the July 6, 2012 news item on the Nano Interactions LLC blog),

On July 4, 2012, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) posted its Guidance on the safety assessment of nanomaterials in cosmetics. The EC requested the SCCS develop guidance on the elements that would be required in a manufactured nanomaterial safety dossier. The SCCS states that the Guidance is intended to provide information to help compliance with the requirements for the safety assessment of nanomaterials intended for use in cosmetic products.

This news originated from a July 6, 2012 news release (Note: The dateline for the n/r is July 6 but it was posted online July 5), from the European Commission’s Scientific Committee for Consumer Safety,

The Commission published today the Guidance on the Safety Assessment of Nanomaterials in Cosmetics. The document was drafted by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) to help the cosmetics industry comply with article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products , which is due to enter into force on 11 July 2013.

From 11 January 2013, the cosmetics industry will have to notify to the Commission ,through the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal, all cosmetic products containing nanomaterials, six months prior to placing them on the market. They will also have to provide specific data relevant for risk assessment purposes, which the Commission will submit to the SCCS, in case it has concerns. A checklist of required data has been included in the new Guidance to help them do so.

It’s a 62 pp. document adding to the growing pile of recently published things to read if you’re interested in the safety, risk, regulation and/or toxicology of nanomaterials. You can find more in my July 5, 2012 posting where I mention the very stern Nature commentary regarding the regulation of silver nanoparticles and the European Commission’s perceived footdragging, my July 3, 2012 posting about some of  the latest doings at the US Environmental Protection Agency and National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, and, somewhat related, my July 4, 2012 posting about how scientists at Northwestern University have developed a moisturizer which penetrates the skin barrier (for medical purposes).

Thanks to the July 5, 2012 news item on Nanowerk for alerting me to this latest news.

European nanosafety and cosmetics

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The European Commission has asked the Scientific Commission on Consumer Safety (SCCS) to prepare guidelines (guidance) for assessing the safety of cosmetic products with nanomaterials as ingredients. From the Oct. 11, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,

On the basis of the evolving knowledge based on the health risk assessment of specific manufactured nanomaterials, the Commission considers appropriate to request the SCCS to develop guidance on the essential elements that would be required in a manufactured nanomaterial safety dossier i.e. physicochemical characterisation; toxicological evaluation, exposure assessment etc.

This request is being made in anticipation of some new regulations for cosmetic products containing nanomaterials, which will be implement in January 2013, according to the European Commission’s Request for Guidance document, available here.

This will not only facilitate the submission of safety dossiers at present, but will also assist in the implementation of the provisions of article 16 of the Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009/ which will impose strict conditions and timelines for the notification and the assessment of cosmetic products containing nanomaterials on the responsible persons and the SCCS respectively, starting on January 2013.

On the basis of the evolving knowledge based on the health risk assessment of specific manufactured nanomaterials, the Commission considers appropriate to request the SCCS to develop guidance on the essential elements that would be required in a manufactured nanomaterial safety dossier i.e. physicochemical characterisation; toxicological evaluation, exposure assessment etc. (p. 1)

The deadline for developing the guidance (guidelines) is February 2012.  There was this tidbit too,

In elaborating this guidance, and taking into account the growing experience on the matter the SCCS is asked to consider all available documentation on the subject such as the SCCP scientific opinion on safety of nanomaterials in cosmetic products; the documents issued by the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials; the EFSA scientific opinion on guidance on risk assessment of the application of nanoscience and nanotechnologies in the food and feed chain. [emphasis mine] (p. 2)

Canada has been very involved with the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials. In light of this and of Health Canada’s recent policy statement on a working definition for nanomaterials (my Oct. 11, 2011 posting), I wonder if Canadians are going to see any similar attempts at creating guidelines for safety assessments of cosmetics and other products containing engineered nanomaterials as ingredients.