Beauty must face up to nano

05 November 2008

Nano materials are being used in a wide range of cosmetic products despite unresolved issues surrounding their safety, a new Which? report has found*.

Leading brands** are developing materials in nano form as they offer new properties which can bring benefits to consumers, but some nano materials could also introduce potential risks.

While nano emulsions***, used by companies such as L’Oréal, raise less concern, leading experts have questioned the safety of other nano materials such as fullerenes**** used in products by Dr Brandt and others. Despite this, most nano materials do not have to undergo an independent safety assessment*****.

Small Wonder: Nanotechnology in Cosmetics, published today, also uncovered the significant use of nano in sunscreens. UV filters titanium dioxide and zinc oxide used in their nano form make the cream transparent, rather than white. Companies have claimed these are more effective, but EU experts have asked for more safety tests, to investigate their effect on sunburnt or other damaged skin.

While Government and industry are exhibiting a high level of confusion and uncertainty over the use of nano materials in cosmetic products, 87 per cent of consumers****** remain unaware that these materials are already within cosmetic products, as many fail to mention their use.

The findings have reinforced the need for greater research into nanotechnology to determine whether there are any possible risks to consumer health, and for loopholes in current EU cosmetic legislation, currently under review, to be addressed.

Sue Davies, Chief Policy Adviser, Which? said:

“We’re not saying the use of nanotechnology in cosmetics is a bad thing, far from it. Many of its applications could lead to exciting and revolutionary developments in a wide range of products, but until all the necessary safety tests are carried out, the simple fact is we just don’t know enough.

“It was concerning that so few companies came forward to be involved in our report and we are grateful for those that were responsible enough to do so. The cosmetics industry needs to stop burying its head in the sand and come clean about how it is using nanotechnology.

“The Government must introduce a compulsory reporting scheme for manufactured nano materials so we are all aware - and only those that are independently assessed as safe should be allowed to be used in cosmetics.”

- Ends -

Notes to Editor

For a copy of Small Wonder: Nanotechnology in Cosmetics report, please contact Kate Turnbull on 02077707582, or e-mail kate.turnbull@which.co.uk. Sue Davies is available for interviews and comment.

* Which? report Small Wonder: Nanotechnology in Cosmetics (November 2008)
**Which? wrote to 67 cosmetics companies, including all of the main brands as well as smaller ones, asking them about their use of nanotechnology, what benefits they thought it brought and how they ensured product safety. There was a very poor response with only 17 responding, and of these, just eight were willing to give us information about how they use nanotechnology. Despite this, Which? found additional cosmetic products claiming to use nanotechnology on sale, mainly over the internet.
*** Nano emulsions (preparations containing oil and water droplets reduced to nano size) are used to preserve active ingredients, such as vitamins and anti-oxidants, and for their lightness and transparency.
****Carbon fullerenes are a type of nano material used in anti-aging cream products. Scientists have raised particular concerns about potential toxicity of fullerenes if they were able to penetrate the skin.
***** The safety of nano materials falls under the EU’s Cosmetics Directive which is currently under review and will be replaced by a new Regulation. There is a legal responsibility for manufacturers to put only safe products on the market. There does not have to be any independent assessment to confirm this before they go on the market, because cosmetic companies themselves are responsible for assessing the safety of most nano materials, other than in the case of materials used as UV filters in sunscreens. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Products, which has responsibility for assessing the safety of cosmetic products under the EU's Cosmetics Products, issued an opinion on the safety of nano materials used in cosmetics earlier this year: http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04_sccp/docs/sccp_o_123.pdf
****** A face to face omnibus survey of 977 adults aged 16yrs+ was carried out from 1-5 October 2008 – results were weighted to be representative of adults aged 16yrs+ in the UK.

Research Notes

• Nanotechnology is a revolutionary new way of manipulating materials on a tiny scale, giving them new properties and potentially beneficial capabilities. But safety experts are cautioning that we simply don’t know enough about how nano materials behave and products are slipping through the loopholes in cosmetic regulation.
• In September 2006, the Government launched a voluntary reporting scheme for all engineered nano materials to find out what was, or could be, on the market, to guide the development of regulations. But this has had a very limited response with just 12 responses in two years and is now under review. A US institute, the US Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, has voluntarily put together a list of over 800 consumer products that are believed to be produced using nanotechnology, based on claims that are made about the products. This list includes everything from toys and clothes to iPods and also includes a number of cosmetic products from leading brands. Which? conducted its research to gain a clearer understanding of how far nano cosmetics have developed in the UK.

What Which? wants:

• The Government should require companies to report their use of manufactured nano
  materials.
• Potentially unsafe and illegal products should be removed from sale.
• An independent expert group should be established to advise the Government on the risks and benefits of nano sunscreens.
• The new EU Cosmetics Regulation should include a positive list of manufactured nano materials that are permitted to be used in cosmetic products based on an independent safety assessment.
• Clear information should be provided to consumers about the use of nano materials in cosmetic products, as well as nanotechnology more broadly.
• For more information on the Which? nanotechnology campaign, please visit www.which.co.uk/nano