What are we putting on our bodies?

Critics of EU rules warn that some lotions and potions are still not 100% safe for consumers. Emily Smith reports.

A major force behind the drive for EU cosmetics legislation in 1976 was the need to standardise labelling requirements across the then nine member states. Different labelling and packaging rules, said the directive, "hinder trade in these products and…have a direct effect on the establishment and functioning of the common market".

But trade and economics were not the only motivations for improved EU cosmetics labelling. In line with the overall thrust of the 1976 directive, governments kept consumer safety in mind when they agreed the new labelling rules more than 30 years ago.

To this end, the directive lists conditions of use and warnings which must be printed on cosmetic products containing certain ingredients, as well as a list of substances not allowed in cosmetics, even with labelling.

These labelling requirements include the warning ‘not to be used for children under three years of age’ for some toothpaste ingredients and chemical cosmetic preservatives.

The cosmetics directive has been amended more than 40 times since, to take account of new scientific evidence. In 2003, the EU adopted an amendment banning many substances linked with cancer, mutations, or reproductive problems (CMRs) from cosmetics - in some cases even if the link could not be proved.

In September last year the European Commission, with support from industry and consumer groups, published new labelling standards for claims made for sunscreens. Even though sunscreens are strictly regulated by the 1976 directive, the Commission was worried that manufacturers were getting away with misleading promises on sunscreen bottles.

The new sunscreen recommendation outlaws claims such as "sun blocker" or "total protection", saying sunscreen cannot offer full protection against ultraviolet (UV) radiation (linked to premature skin ageing and the risk of skin cancer). It also introduces a new range of pictograms to highlight the risk of sun exposure for infants, and the need to apply the correct amount of sunscreen.

The Commission hoped to see the new labels in place this summer, but in July industry said that itneeded until 2008 to cover all products.

The Commission last summer also banned 22 ingredients found in hair dyes, but said this was only likely to affect imports since EU manufacturers had already adopted their own restrictions.

Friends of the Earth, a conservation group, admits that the EU has outstripped the US when it comes to regulating cosmetics, notably with its 2003 CMR amendment.

But lobbyists say that the complex web of EU cosmetics regulation has let a few worrying substances slip through.

The Women’s Environment Network, part of the lobby group the Health and Environment Alliance, argues against complacency.

"For women and increasingly, men, cosmetics are an important health and environmental issue," says a WEN study published this year. "More and more products on the market may contain ingredients which can impair fertility, increase the effects of ageing, disrupt hormones and are linked to cancer, allergies or other health problems."

WEN singles out phthalates (found in some hairsprays and nail polishes), triclosan (in some toothpaste, soap, and deodorants), propylene glycol (some shampoos and make-up products), parabens (some bubble baths and baby products) and PPD (dark hair dyes and tattoos) as four chemicals that it says pose a health risk and are still not properly regulated. A WEN breast cancer campaign asked shoppers to take products containing any of these five ingredients back to the shop and push for a ban.

So far, science in the EU has not supported them. Phthalates are strictly controlled, with a total ban on their use in children’s toys and many medical devices, but some are still allowed in cosmetics in limited amounts.

A Commission health department advisory body, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products, reported this July that current rules on the use of phthalates in cosmetics do not pose any consumer risk.

Commission scientific committees, as well as in some cases the European Food Safety Authority, have also said that there is no need to update legislation on the use of the other four ingredients selected by WEN in cosmetics.

But member states are starting to take their own action, with for example a PPD hair dye ban in Germany, France, and Sweden.

At times, the single market, one of the priorities of the cosmetics directive, has to give ground to another priority: consumer concern.

Critics of EU rules warn that some lotions and potions are still not 100% safe for consumers. Emily Smith reports.