Local toxicity of cosmetic products

PCR's Educational Fridays are a great opportunity for the team to build stronger relationships, and a fun way to share the company's knowledge on topics within their industry

PCR shares: "For our most recent Educational Fridays, we discussed ‘Local Toxicity of Cosmetic Products’."

Local Toxicity of Cosmetic Products is evaluating the level of risk of cosmetic products on the skin and eyes. This is done by evaluating the potential of toxicity of the ingredients when in contact with the skin or eyes. Below is an example of a scope to go through when evaluating the local toxicity of a cosmetic product.

1. The safety assessment of a cosmetic product must take into account systemic effects (effects in the body due to permeation through skin of ingredients) as well as local effects (effects on skin and/or eyes).
2. For an adequate evaluation of the local toxicity of a cosmetic product, it is necessary to have good knowledge of the irritant properties of the main formula components as well as those components at minor percentage in the formula which can influence the overall irritation potential of the product.
3. CLP/GHS are relevant guidance tools for evaluating overall degree of irritation in a cosmetic product. Other evidence such as patch tests, dermatological or in vitro studies are also valuable towards building evidence in regard to potential irritation of a cosmetic product.
4. The overall degree of irritation induced by a cosmetic product does not only depend on the components but also on the usage, body part of application, duration of use, leave on/ rinse off, amongst others.
5. Certain ingredients can induce phototoxicity (e.g. release of toxic by-products under sunlight). A competent safety evaluator will identify risk of phototoxicity.
6. Certain ingredients can be allergenic. A competent safety evaluator will identify risk of allergenicity and will ensure that raw materials potentially allergenic e.g. fragrances, are compliant.
7. The eyes require particular attention in the safety evaluation because they are a more sensitive organ than skin and accidental exposure may occur.

"We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief window into PCR’s Educational Fridays! Although this is a very brief introduction to the topic, hopefully it shines some light into our Educational Fridays. This is only the tip of the iceberg, reach out to us if you want to find out more or if you want your product to be evaluated, contact us at info@personalcareregulatory.com."

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