Cosmetic products are regulated by various definitions to include products for application to the external parts of the body (or mucous membranes) to help cleanse, protect and condition, moisturise or otherwise improve the aroma and hygiene of a person. They should never be intended, or marketed for ingestible or injectible use, or for use on broken or damaged skin – that is the domain of other types of products such as food or therapetic/drug substances.

All cosmetic brands, regardless of size, are required legally to ensure their products are safe and suitable for consumers, based on their directions for use. While cosmetic brands are constantly being ‘pushed’ by consumer expectations for enhanced performance, cosmetic brands cannot risk or compromise potential consumer safety by using ingredients beyond regulatory limits – which are imposed for safety reasons – or suggesting their use is beyond the definition of a cosmetic product.

In recent years we have seen unfounded trends toward complicated ‘free from’ ingredient listings, as well as the poorly defined ‘clean beauty’ movement. Neither of these concepts came from good science, and only scared consumers into believing that certain cosmetic ingredients – even when used within safe regulatory limits – were potentially harmful. Recent regulations from the EU (banning unfounded ‘free from’ claims) and the US MoCRA updates (requiring companies to test for and ensure consumer safety) are now putting an end to the fear mongering of the past. Companies who never based their marketing claims on scare tactics had nothing to worry about; while cosmetic brands whose touted benefits relied on consumer misconceptions have had to radically rethink their brand positioning.

There is unfortunately a lot of misinformation on the internet about cosmetic ingredients. This misinformation may come from those with good intentions, but may also come from people pretending to be industry professionals that are simply trying to push their product sales by putting other cosmetic brands down, or posing suggestive implications about their safety. In any case, misleading consumers into purchasing one product over another by raising doubts is wrong, but does cause disruptive changes to the industry when it is done repeatedly, and by more than one brand. We saw this with the ‘free from’ movement – where companies were being forced to move away from certain ingredient choices for no reason other than consumers became fearful of their use.

Preservatives are necessary in most cosmetic products because of their high water and nutrient content – yet the choice of which preservatives a cosmetic brand uses is undoubtedly one of the most controversial decisions they can make! Rather than choosing the preservative that is best for a given formula based on its chemistry and compatibility, a Cosmetic Chemist is often forced to narrow their list of choices to a very few that will be acceptable for the consumer while still ensuring they are effective.

Whilst banning ‘free from’ claims and the new MoCRA regulations help ensure consumers know all brands are responsible for the safety of their cosmetic products and ingredients they contain, it has also heightened attention to product packaging: the need to discard the unnecessary, and increase choices to provide some product protection. This has also boosted the amount of sustainable, recycled, upcycled and reusable packaging, which is a great step forward for greener consumer choices.

Finally, there is now a greater need for transparency in cosmetic product labelling. Cosmetic product labels need to not only comply with marketing claims about performance for cosmetics, but also clear directions for use to ensure consumer safety. The need for accurate ingredient lists, including listing any allergens, has long been required in the UK, EU, ASEAN and UAE markets; and now with the introduction of MoCRA, they’ll soon become mandatory in the USA as well.

The increased emphasis on labelling requirements, along with greater reporting requirements, means consumers can start trusting their cosmetic products more than ever before. The consumer push for sustainability has also heightened the need for transparency in product claims as well as improvements to packaging. This is why updated regulations are a POSITIVE for the cosmetic industry! The only cosmetic brands that aren’t in favour of increased compliance are those that would have otherwise stood to profit from misinformation or misrepresenting their competitors, or aren’t fully compliant themselves. It’s time for clever and compliant cosmetic brands to reap the benefits of their efforts, and the true winners are consumers.