ECHA/NR/24/28
On October 30, 2024, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) released results from a pilot enforcement project, revealing that 6% of inspected cosmetic products contained hazardous chemicals banned under the POPs and REACH regulations.
The project involved inspections by authorities in 13 countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), who examined approximately 4,500 cosmetic products. The main focus was on identifying perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs), and cyclic siloxanes D4 and D5 in ingredient lists. Out of these, 285 products were found to contain banned hazardous substances, including:
- Perfluorononyl dimethicone
- Perfluorooctylethyl triethoxysilane
- Perfluorononylethyl carboxydecyl PEG-10 dimethicone
- Cyclopentasiloxane (D5), cyclomethicone (a blend of D4, D5, D6), cyclotetrasiloxane (D4)
These chemicals are banned in cosmetics as they are identified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) or (very) persistent, (very) bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT/vPvB), with adverse effects on human health and the environment. For example, perfluorononyl dimethicone degrades into PFOA and other persistent acids, while D4 and D5 accumulate in the environment and are toxic to reproduction.
Enforcement authorities have taken action to remove non-compliant products from the market, with ongoing investigations in half of the cases.
https://echa.europa.eu/sk/-/hazardous-chemicals-found-in-cosmetic-products