Active ingredients used in cosmetics: safety survey

Book excerpt: Ingredients are used in cosmetics to give them specific properties. Certain ingredients, so called active ingredients, may produce pharmacological or toxic effects under certain conditions. Cosmetic products containing such ingredients may pose a health risk both because of their potential toxicity and because they may mask underlying serious diseases and consequently cause a dangerous delay in diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this study is to give safety information on certain active ingredients which give raise to toxicological concerns and for which restrictions of use in cosmetics should be considered. Monographs were prepared for 45 active ingredients for which no specific regulations exist including, inter alia, information about uses, properties, a risk evaluation of the use in cosmetic products considering as toxicological endpoints both systemic and local effects. Each monograph includes a bibliography, conclusions and recommendations. The study complements a series of three volumes containing monographs about the safety of certain natural ingredients used in cosmetics and will serve as a useful reference in the field, for health authorities, manufacturers and health professionals in particular.