With the European Green Deal striving to make Europe sustainable and carbon-neutral by 2050, environmental assessments of cosmetic products have become indispensable. In this podcast, our Intertek Assuris experts detail the measures taken to evaluate and ensure environmental safety of cosmetic products, and the importance of expert guidance during this process.
Speakers:
Follow us on- Intertek's Assurance In Action || Twitter || LinkedIn.
With the European Green Deal striving to make Europe sustainable and carbon-neutral by 2050, environmental assessments of cosmetic products have become indispensable. In this podcast, our Intertek Assuris experts detail the measures taken to evaluate and ensure environmental safety of cosmetic products, and the importance of expert guidance during this process.
Speakers:
Follow us on- Intertek's Assurance In Action || Twitter || LinkedIn.
00:15 --> 01:03
Speaker 1
Marion:
Hello,
and welcome to "Assuris
in Action." With
the European Green Deal striving to make Europe sustainable and carbon-neutral
by 2050, environmental assessments
of cosmetic products have become
indispensable. In this podcast, we’ll
detail
the
measures taken to evaluate and ensure environmental safety of cosmetic products,
and the
importance of expert guidance during this process.
The
European
regulatory
framework for environmental safety
of
cosmetics includes the
REACH
and CLP regulations,
along with cosmetics-specific legislation.
You
can find more information on the whitepaper attached with
this podcast.
My
name is Marion, and
I’m
an
ecotoxicologist within Intertek
Assuris.
Today
I’m
joined by Anne-Sophie, our Product Safety Manager and Pharmacist Toxicologist,
to navigate this vital aspect of the cosmetics industry.
00:15 --> 01:19
Speaker
2
Anne-Sophie:
Thank
you, Marion. Hello everyone! I'm
Anne-Sophie, and I'm delighted to
be
able to delve into these topics with you.
Before
we begin, let's
clarify what environmental assessment means.
01:19 --> 02:19
Speaker
1
Marion:
Of
course. In essence, environmental
assessment is a comprehensive process that scrutinizes the potential
environmental risks and hazards associated with the use of specific substances
or finished
products.
These
evaluations
are
particularly
crucial in industries
like cosmetics, which deal with a wide
range
of chemicals and formulations.
According
to
regulatory frameworks, cosmetic manufacturers
are
required
to
furnish
pertinent data on environmental hazards represented
by three
key pillars: the intrinsic properties of their
substance, the substance’s fate in the
environment, and the
substance’s impact on living organisms in those
environments. When it comes to cosmetic
products, considerations also extend to
potential exposure routes. For instance, rinsed-off products
substances may find their way into aquatic
ecosystems, even reaching agricultural soil. This prompts inquiries into
degradation, mobility, and bioavailability, along with potential impacts on
organisms.
02:19 --> 02:41
Speaker
2
Anne-Sophie:
Interesting,
Marion. I believe regulatory
agencies, such as the European Chemicals Agency (or ECHA),
have laid down a series of guidances
to
help with assessment. Compliance with these standards is
crucial to ensure products meet the necessary environmental criteria.
Can
you explain to us what the main requirements are?
02:41 --> 03:39
Speaker
1
Marion:
Certainly.
Suppliers
or importers must generate reliable
and reproducible data on physico-chemical
properties, fate,
and ecotoxicology relevant
to the
calculation of safe
concentrations—like the “predicted
no effect concentration”—of chemicals
in
the
environment. The extent
of information required by REACH depends on the
estimated production volume of the product or ingredient,
with lower volume necessitating
less data than higher volume production. Downstream
users,
who may be formulators,
are not only responsible for implementing risk management but
play a crucial role in transmitting pertinent information to clients and
informing suppliers about the use of
their
mixtures
or ingredients. However, we
must remember that CLP regulation doesn’t
require a specific tonnage—classification
and labeling must be performed for all substances and mixtures registered in
REACH
database.
03:39--> 04:01
Speaker
2
Anne-Sophie:
So,
a manufacturer or importer could benefit
from expertise
in the environmental assessment aspect as well as regulatory obligations!
Similarly, the downstream user must ensure that the effective use and
conditions of use align with the conditions described in the received exposure
scenarios.
04:01--> 04:42
Speaker
1
Marion:
Exactly!
In
practice, environmental safety assessment
typically relies
on a
scientific evidence-based methodology.
The
main
role
of an expert would include, (1), evaluating the safety of
any
individual ingredients
or formulations using a
screening approach, and (2), understanding and
strategizing how to achieve regulatory compliance
for those ingredients or formulations, including monitoring
new regulatory trends and data.
Moreover,
when
information
gaps are identified,
our experts can determine
the best way to fill them.
For instance, the use of
in silico
methods, grouping, or read-across
approaches can help generate
missing data.
04:42--> 05:20
Speaker
2
Anne-Sophie:
These are actually
topics
we discussed in a recent podcast
on the in
silico
approach! Today,
European
regulations actively advocate for the adoption of alternative testing methods
like these to eliminate
animal testing. Intertek’s experts can
help select
and employ computer models, and other approaches
that obviate the need
for
animal experiments.
So,
it sounds like the expert’s role
is
essential
to
ensuring environmental safety.
How
exactly would their
input
translate into environmental specifications?
05:20--> 06:35
Speaker
1
Marion:
Well,
to start, we aim to avoid substances that are
persistent, bioaccumulative,
ecotoxic, mobile, and endocrine disruptors in multiple compartments. A
Persistent, Bioaccumulative,
and Toxic substance, or PBT,
is one that demonstrates
prolonged environmental persistence, substantial accumulation in living
organisms, and potential toxicity. These substances raise concerns because
they can endure in the environment and
accumulate within organisms over time. By contrast, a
very Persistent and very Bioaccumulative
substance, or vPvB,
exhibits
traits of both high persistence and bioaccumulation. There
is even the category of
very
Persistent, very Mobile, or vPvM,
which
refers to a substance displaying both high
persistence and significant mobility, meaning
easy
movement within the environment. These
criteria are outlined
in
Annex 13
to the REACH Regulation. For
environmental hazard assessment, three main compartments
are considered: water, soil, and air. For
aquatic risk assessment, fresh water and marine environments are considered
separately, as well as the
water column and the sediment.
06:35--> 07:18
Speaker
2
Anne-Sophie:
Interesting.
On
that note, the next step for the
European
Commission
is to
add
new hazard classes and criteria to
the CLP Regulation to fully address environmental toxicity, persistency,
mobility, and bioaccumulation. For
more information on this, you can find
our “What’s
new about the CLP Regulation? Introduction of new hazard classes:
their meaning and their impact” Webinar on
our Intertek website!
Now,
let's
shift our focus to the practical aspect. During a step-by-step assessment
by one of our experts, what are the main questions
they might ask?
07:18--> 08:18
Speaker
1
Marion:
Well,
cosmetic
products are complex formulations
with
a
wide range of physico-chemical
properties. With
a
meticulous "one substance, one assessment" approach, our initial
focus is on examining each
constituent of a mixture
individually. We determine
the
predominant environmental compartment where the substance is likely to
accumulate. We delve into assessing the substance using
specific criteria, considering various contributing
factors for compliance
(or
non-compliance) with relevant
regulatory
restrictions. Then, as
a crucial next step, we provide guidance
and expertise
on further testing, employing bioassays or in silico
data
where possible, following OECD guidelines that
prescribe recommended methodologies for assessing environmental impacts
of substances. Our highly detailed evaluation
process is designed to maintain
the delicate balance between product innovation and regulatory compliance.
08:18--> 08:32
Speaker
2
Anne-Sophie:
That
sounds excellent, Marion. Our
team stands ready to guide you through the complexities of environmental
assessments but also
ensuring your formulations align with the highest standards of safety and
sustainability.
08:32--> 08:54
Speaker
1
Marion:
We
do indeed! To our
listeners, whether you're a
formulator, a brand owner, or part of the cosmetics industry, remember that
each step of the
assessment process plays a crucial role in
compliance and safety. From data collection to safety
evaluations, we're here to
support you on the journey
toward environmentally conscious cosmetics.
08:54--> 09:01
Speaker
2
Anne-Sophie:
Thanks
again Marion
and
thank
you
all
for joining us on this episode of "Assuris
in Action." Until next time!