Trading Standards warn about imported cosmetic products

Shropshire County Council’s Trading Standards service has recently participated in a regional project with the Central England Trading Standards Authorities partnership (CEnTSA) looking at the safety of imported cosmetic products.

Products as diverse as children’s toy makeup, skin lightening creams, and nail polish were purchased and sent for examination and testing. All were purchased from budget retail outlets and market stalls and many were foreign imports.

Of the 24 cosmetic products that were tested, more than half failed to comply with the full legal requirements.

Frances Darling, Trading Standards enforcement team manager, said: “The results were disappointing. Important user information was not always present and when it was, it was often hard to read, incomplete or even false. Buying cheap imported cosmetics carries a risk; they can be untraceable, incapable of doing what the product claims or even be unsafe.

“Two of the products sampled in the region had ingredients which could cause injury, ranging from skin sensitivity to potential damage to an unborn human foetus or cancer. Some that claimed to offer some form of protection as a sunscreen did not protect from harmful UVA radiation.

“In addition to an advisory campaign targeted at those who import cosmetic products, Trading Standards Services across the region are investigating the significant breaches. Smaller retailers are strongly advised to ensure they buy from reputable wholesalers and importers, to check expiry dates and to know the origin of the products they buy. They are also advised not to split gift or multi-packs.”

John Hurst-Knight, Shropshire County Council’s Cabinet member for waste and economy, added: “Research has shown that the average consumer uses around 10 cosmetics or personal care products each day. Consumers assume that every cosmetic product is safe to buy and use or it would not be able to be supplied into the UK. This latest regional Trading Standards project has demonstrated that this is not always the case. Consumers should be wary about buying cosmetics from anywhere other than reputable outlets and they should ensure they have sufficient information about the products they buy to be able to use them safely.”

If consumers are concerned about the labelling, ingredients or effects of using cosmetic products, they should contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06. Businesses requiring advice on how to comply with the legislation should contact Shropshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service on 01743 254144.

Further information

Main results of the project:-

• Five items failed to display a list of ingredients found in them.
• Eight did not list all the ingredients found in them. Consumers would be prevented from making an informed decision about the product and would be at risk if they had a sensitivity or allergy.
• Seven of the cosmetic products did not declare a shelf life; some cosmetics deteriorate with age.
• Eight of the items did not identify the importer or manufacturer so it would be difficult to trace them in the event of a safety issue or product recall.
• Six items did not have a batch number or code; this would prevent retailers doing stock rotation or identifying when stock is out of date, so increasing wastage and losing them profit. In the event of a product recall all the stock may need to be destroyed, as any fault with a particular batch run could not be identified.
• Five samples had inaccurate claims.
• Two products were found to be unsafe; one, a nail varnish contained benzyl butyl phthalate which is a substance known to be toxic for reproduction and may cause harm to the developing foetus and may impair fertility; the other, a skin lightening body lotion contained Hydroquinone which is a category 3 mutagen, a category 3 carcinogen and a potential skin sensitizer.

The main legislation controlling the safety of cosmetics in the UK is the Cosmetics Products (Safety) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1284), which came into force on the 18 June 2008. These Regulations revoke and re-enact the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/2152), which were in force at the time the project was undertaken.

CEnTSA (Central England Trading Standards Service) is a voluntary partnership of 14 Trading Standards Authorities consisting of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Stoke, Telford & Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire. Twelve of the 14 authorities took part in the project with each authority purchasing two items, which were examined or tested by Worcestershire Scientific Services.

Consumer Direct West Midlands is working in partnership with CEnTSA offering clear, practical consumer advice. Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service, supported by the Office of Fair Trading and delivered working in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services. It provides clear, practical, impartial advice to help resolve problems and disagreements with suppliers of goods or services.

The information and advice helpline is available on 08454 04 05 06 from 8am until 6.30pm from Monday to Friday, and 9am until 1pm on Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays. Alternatively, people can visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Minicom users only should call 08451 28 13 84.

Calls cost a maximum of 4 pence per minute from a BT landline. Calls from mobiles or other networks may vary. Your service provider may charge a minimum cost per call. The advice and information given is free.

23 October 2008