European expert committee publishes Opinion on Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products
The European Commission’s expert Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) published their Opinion on Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products, adopted by the SCCP during the 14th plenary meeting on 18 December 2007. The Opinion was developed to meet a European Commission Request to:
- […] to review and, if appropriate, to amend [the SCCP’s] notes of guidance for the testing of cosmetic ingredients and their safety evaluation as concern cosmetic ingredients in the form of nanomaterials, including nanoparticles and nanoliposomes, and in particular as regards skin absorption and resorption of these substances. […]
- [to consider if it was] necessary to review existing opinions on nanosized TiO2 and ZnO as cosmetic ingredients and if appropriate to identify which additional elements are required for the submission of a safety-file?
In June 2007, the Nanotechnology Industries Association contributed to a public consultation on the ‘Preliminary Opinion on the Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products’; at the time, the NIA’s response to the SCCP’s preliminary opinion highlighted the inconsistency with an opinion previously published by the EC’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR).
The reviewed SCCP Opinion distinguishes the following categories of nanoparticles:
- soluble and/or biodegradable nanoparticles which disintegrate upon application to skin into their molecular components (e.g. liposomes, microemulsions, nanoemulsions), and
- insoluble and/or biopersistent particles (e.g. TiO2, fullerenes, quantum dots).
The Opinion states that ‘for the first group, conventional risk assessment methodologies based on mass metrics may be adequate, whereas for the insoluble particles other metrics, such as the number of particles, and their surface area as well as their distribution are also required.’
Both the the preliminary and reviewed SCCP opinions conclude that ‘it is unknown whether the current regulatory toxicological tests are adequate or relevant for testing of nanomaterials or whether specific adaptations will be required and new methods developed. Therefore, further research must be performed and the current hazard identification of nanomaterials needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.’
Follow these links to download the reviewed SCCP Opinion, for more information about the preliminary SCCP Opinion, and the NIA’s response to the latter.