Call for information on the safety of silica in nano form
None
This news contains references also to other Substances
Article 16 of the
Cosmetics
Regulation requires any
cosmetic product containing nanomaterials
to be notified to the
Commission six months prior to being placed on the market, and Article 19 requires
nano-scale ingredients to be labelled (name of the ingredient, followed by 'nano' in
brackets). If there are
concerns over the safety of a nanomaterial, the Commission shall
refer it to the
Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) for a full risk
assessment.
The Commission received 172 notifications containing the following nanomaterials:
-
Silica [CAS 112945-52-5]
-
Hydrated Silica [CAS 112926-00-8]
-
Silica Sylilate [CAS 68909-20-6]
-
Silica Dimethyl Silylate [CAS 68611-44-9]
These ingredients are not regulated in
Cosmetic Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, but they are reported in the
Cosing database
with several cosmetic functions. According to the applicants the ingredients are
used in
nano form in leave-on and rinse-off cosmetics products, including hair, skin, lip, face,
and nail products.
The Commission has
concerns on the use of silica in nano form because of the potential
high exposure in many types of products and because concerns have been raised
regarding the
potential for nanoparticles of silica to break out of the agglomerates and
enter cells.
Therefore, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has received a request
for a scientific opinion on the safety of the four types of silica.
The European Commission and its
Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) have launched a call for information.
Interested parties are invited to submit online any
relevant information
that could assist the scientific committee on the safety assessment.
The call will run
until 31 May 2014.
Related Links:
- SCCS - Call for Information
- Request for a scientific opinion on the safety of Silica (nano)
- COSING - European Commission database on cosmetic substances and ingredients
