| Aug 30, 2012 |
BEUC calls on EU to define nanomaterials in cosmetics
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(Nanowerk News) The EU Commission is planning to align two differing definitions used for the term ‘nano-material’, one contained in the EU Regulation on cosmetic products and the other in the EU Commission recommendation for the term ‘nano-material’. The Commission’s aim is to apply the updated definition to cosmetic products as soon as the nano-specific requirements enter into force.
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In this position paper, BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation, outlines which elements such a definition should contain in order to effectively protect consumers from unknown hazards that may be related to cosmetic products which use new nanomaterials.
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In BEUC's point of view, a definition of nanomaterials in cosmetic products needs to:
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- include all materials in which more than 0,15 % of the number of particles are present in the nano-size range;
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- cover by-products which are not intentionally manufactured but which are present in the nano-range;
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- include soluble nano-particles and nano-structures which have specifically been designed to carry encapsulated substances that will be released to the systemic circulation;
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- include nano-particles below 1nm such as fullerenes;
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- add a criterion on volume specific surface area as particle size distribution alone is insufficient to give information about the surface area which has an impact on the reactivity of the particles.
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