The UFC-Que Choisir study published a list of 185 products, including skin creams, shampoos, deodorants, and baby wipes, which it said contained substances that were legal, but could cause allergies, irritations or endocrinal disorders.
Safety first
Ingredients used in cosmetics are strictly regulated by the Cosmetics Regulation, and these laws require cosmetic products to be safe under both normal and reasonably anticipated conditions of use.
The main purpose of the Regulation is human safety, and every product must be the subject of a safety assessment performed by a duly qualified professional before it is placed on the market.
In addition, the law requires that a specific safety assessment is carried out for cosmetic products intended for use on children under the age of three and for products exclusively used for external intimate hygiene.
This does not always cover certain people’s reaction or allergies to certain ingredients and new research is always being presented that could influence rule makers to update and adapt the regulation.
Pressure
The French consumer group argues (in French) that there should be changes made with regards to the inclusion of the allergen methylisothiazolinone (MIT), endocrine disruptors, ethylhexyl-methoxycinnamate, and UV filters, having found them in a variety of products in its study.
"In light of the absence of suitable European regulation, we want to put pressure on manufacturers through consumers' purchasing behaviour," says Olivier Andrault, who ran the study for UFC-Que Choisir.
Industry response
In response to the study, the Federation of Cosmetics Makers (FEBEA) says that beauty and hygiene products sold in France are safe and meet European regulation, which it describes as the most demanding in the world.
A number of global companies, such asL’Oréal, Procter & Gamble, and Beiersdorf all had products included in the study, with the French firm the only one to respond to this study, according to Reuters, saying it was rigorously committed to the safety of all of its products.
"Our safety evaluation system is very robust and all our products and our ingredients are rigorously evaluated before they are put on the market, always in full conformity to the regulation in place," L'Oreal said in a statement.