Cosmetics – Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash
(BRUSSELS) – Cosmetics was the most frequent type of product notified as posing a health risk in 2023, according to the EU Commission’s annual report on dangerous non-foods products, published Thursday.
Safety Gate, the European Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-foods products, covers alerts which were notified in 2023, as well as corresponding follow-up actions taken by national authorities of the EU Member States, as well as Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.
In 2023, authorities from the 30 participating countries of the Safety Gate network notified 3,412 alerts and 4,287 follow-up actions – the highest amount of alerts recorded since the launch of the system in 2003. In every Member State, market surveillance authorities followed up on the alerts regularly and exchanged additional information.
For example, the Lithuanian authorities identified a body cream which contained prohibited chemicals and subsequently notified the hazard on Safety Gate. Thanks to this notification, Polish authorities could then withdraw the product from their market, and Slovenia was able to recall it from end users.
Risks related to chemicals, injuries, choking, and risks to the environment were the most notified. Cosmetics topped the most common categories of product notified, followed by toys, motor vehicles, electrical appliances, and clothes. This can be explained by an increased level of monitoring of cosmetics from market surveillance authorities to check for the presence of banned dangerous chemical ingredients.
Most of the cosmetics notified were reported to contain BMHCA, a banned synthetic fragrance, which can harm fertility and cause skin irritation.
Substances that cause a risk to both human health and the environment were also found in electrical appliances, such as lead in solders. E-cigarettes with excessive nicotine content and toys containing phthalates also made up for a significant share of alerts.
2023 Annual Safety Gate report and factsheet
