Keeping consumers safe: Cosmetics top the list of products notified in Safety Gate in 2023

The European Commission published its annual report on Safety Gate, the European Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-foods products. The report covers alerts notified in 2023, as well as the corresponding follow-up actions taken by national authorities of the EU Member States, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

In 2023, cosmetics was the most frequent type of product notified as posing a health risk. Last year marked the highest amount of alerts recorded since the launch of the system in 2003, which speaks to its increasing effectiveness and the crucial role it plays.

Main findings of the report

In 2023, authorities from the 30 participating countries of the Safety Gate network notified 3,412 alerts and 4,287 follow-up actions. 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.