Could EU Cosmetics Soon Contain Carcinogens?

Important votes on the EU Cosmetics Regulation are coming up in the European Parliament in April.

With its Chemicals Omnibus Package, the European Commission wants to simplify certain chemical regulations in the EU. Alongside other laws, the Cosmetics Regulation might be weakened – at the expense of our health. The proposed amendments to the regulation are currently being debated in the European Parliament, with a vote scheduled for 15^th April in the relevant parliament committees. The plenary vote (when Members of the European Parliament vote) is planned for late April.

If the proposed amendments become law, it would be easier for companies to use carcinogenic chemicals and other problematic substances in cosmetics. This applies not just to makeup, but also to personal care products such as toothpaste, sunscreen, shampoo, or shaving cream – items used by people of all ages and genders.

The Cosmetics Regulation already fails to adequately protect us. Time and again, product tests show that citizens in Europe are still exposed to harmful substances, such as suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), in cosmetic products like lip balms, shampoos, and sunscreen.

There is therefore no justification for weakening the current Cosmetics Regulation – quite the contrary. CHEM Trust, alongside other organisations, has been calling for the major gaps in the law to be closed for several years, especially asking for EDCs to be banned in cosmetics and personal care products.