Cosmetics ingredient labeling

Although these professional-use-only products do not require ingredient labeling, the cosmetics industry has developed a program to voluntarily Hst the components of professional products. However, under this voluntary program, the ingredients are Hsted in alphabetical order rather than descending order. This has been done to make it easier for the professional hairdresser to locate a specific compound that may be of interest. 

The term FD C color, often seen on ingredients labels, refers to food, drug, and cosmetic colors. These are organic compounds (as opposed to inorganic pigments, such as titanium dioxide) that are so intense in color that it takes only very tiny amounts to color something, and thus they can be used in concentrations so minute that they are safe for consumption. 

Ethoxylates Many cosmetic ingredients are created with the help of these toxic petroleum-derived surfactants. Polyethylene glycols are among the most common, and each is identified on labels as PEG, followed by a number. There are literally hundreds of PEGs on your cosmetic labels. (BDIH Certified Natural Cosmetics aren t allowed to contain ethoxylated ingredients.)... 

The quality and composition of essential oils are of paramount importance to the aromatherapist when choosing oils. We all expect to see products such as foods and cosmetics properly labelled, giving names and amounts of ingredients along with instructions for use and associated possible hazards. This is not yet the situation with aromatherapy oils, but it is likely to develop. It will be a considerable task as essential oils may contain up to three hundred different compounds, albeit many in minuscule amounts, and criteria would have to be set to decide a convention for such labelling. Good working practices, as currently advised, are outlined in this area. 

Ingredient labeling, which has been mandatory in the European Union since 1 January, 1997, has greatly facilitated the investigation of patients with suspected cosmetic dermatitis (SEDA-22,159) (10). 

This discussion is obviously a cursory introduction into shampoos and conditioner-making procedures. For more details on emulsions, their structure, stability, and formation, see the review by Eccleston [2] and the references therein. For additional details on the making of shampoos and conditioners, consult formularies [3] and recent literature from cosmetics courses such as those offered by The Society of Cosmetic Chemists and The Center for Professional Advancement. For additional details on product compositions, consult References 1-3, product ingredient labels, and the books by Hunting [4,5]. 

Generally, the cosmetic ingredients are designated either by their chemical name or, preferentially by the simplest International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient (INCI) to take into account the need for a truly international approach enabling comprehensive and short names for use in labeling. 

The different national approaches to regulating cosmetics are connected to divergent cosmetic definitions, labelling reqnirements and lists of ingredients that are permitted, restricted or banned. Apart from these divergences, at the international level an easier distinction can be made by considering the so-called in-market control and pre-market approval approaches. 

On 1 December 2004, Health Canada published an amendment to the law-making ingredient labelling mandatory for all cosmetics sold in Canada with a 16 November 2006 compliance deadline. Health Canada has identified the INCI system required in Europe as the reference standard for ingredient labelling on the basis that it is apphed in most countries and that the European system made more use of Latin, the international scientific language. 

General labelling of cosmetics is also addressed by a specific Chinese standard. Information required on the label, in Chinese, include the identity and function of the product the net quantity in metric units the name of the manufacturer or importer distributor and the address of the principal place of business date of manufacture plus shelf-life or batch number plus expiry date health licence number (for imported cosmetics) any warnings or cautions necessary for the safe use of the product instructions for storage (if applicable) and country of origin. Full ingredient labelling is not required. 

Article 5a of the EU Cosmetics Directive (Council Directive 76/768/CEE), established a deadline on 14 December 1994 for the Commission to compile an inventory of ingredients employed in cosmetic products, which should be updated periodically. It must contain information on the identity of each ingredient, its function in the cosmetic product, and any restriction and condition of use and/or warning which must be printed on the label. In addition, the same article, defines cosmetic ingredient as any chemical substance or preparation of synthetic or natural origin, except for perfume and aromatic compositions, used in the composition of cosmetic products . Nevertheless, according to Article 6.1, the impurities in the raw materials used are not considered as ingredients, nor are the subsidiary technical materials used in the preparation but not present in the final product or the materials used in strictly necessary quantities as solvents or as carriers for perfume and aromatic compositions. 

On the other hand, considerations on packaging and labelling of cosmetics products were discussed in Section 1.1 however, those concerning cosmetic ingredients are described here in depth. 

Moreover full ingredient labelling must be provided for cosmetics using the INCl names translated or transliterated into Japanese, in descending order of predominance. 

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