Makeup regulations drive ingredient crackdown and transparency
Recent regulatory developments to limit harmful ingredients, animal testing, and single-use plastic in makeup products are incentivizing the industry to cater to the conscious consumer. Some major industry players predict that makeup regulations will become stricter and more transparent, aligning with consumer environmental and health concerns.
According to market research by Innova Market Insights, 64% of consumers globally think better safeguards are needed to ensure that makeup formulas are safe and toxin-free. In comparison, 47% of consumers find it difficult to trust brands’ sustainability claims and benefits.
Personal Care Insights speaks to Jennifer Bernard from Roquette Beauté, John Chave from Cosmetics Europe, and Caroline Rainsford from the Cosmetics, Toiletry, and Perfume Association (CTPA) to discuss how makeup ingredient regulations and pressures differ in the US, UK, and EU.
Strengthening regulations
Roquette, Cosmetics Europe, and CTPA indicate that regulation is vital to ensure consumer safety and satisfaction. They determine that different regulations, measurements, and assessment criteria are critical to evaluating each product, company, or packaging.
Roquette’s Bernard says: “Several significant trends are emerging in makeup regulations. Law is getting stricter with more and more ingredient bans and restrictions, such as PFAS or microplastics in some countries.”
“Additionally, there is a growing trend against animal testing for cosmetics in general, not only in the EU but also in India and some states in the US. Even in areas where animal testing is not fully banned, consumer expectations push companies to adopt alternative testing methods.”
She further notes that regulations are tightening around nano ingredients due to the potential health risks to consumers.
Chave, from Cosmetics Europe, highlights other EU measurements, such as the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and the Classification, Labelling, and Cosmetic Products Regulations (CPR), which aim to regulate various components of makeup products.
Regulations aim to limit harmful ingredients, animal testing, and single-use plastic in makeup products.It is not only the EU cracking down on regulatory standards in Europe. CTPA, a trade association in the UK, represents the country’s cosmetics and personal care industry, providing advocacy and regulatory support to consumers and companies.
Its director of science, Caroline Rainsford, says: “All cosmetic products supplied throughout the UK must be safe. The safety laws controlling cosmetic products are extremely stringent. The manufacture and supply of cosmetics is governed by the UK Cosmetics Regulation.”
The future of makeup regulation
Roquette and CTPA indicate that in the next five years, makeup regulations will likely become stricter and incorporate more technological developments to help consumers understand the ingredients in their products.
Rainsford says: “The UK Cosmetics Regulation will still be considered a gold standard globally. The ingredients used in cosmetic products will still be safe, although restrictions will likely change slightly to reflect the latest science — a sign of good legislation.”
“The Regulation may also incorporate new technological developments. For example, in how consumers receive information about their products. As legislation evolves, it is important to enable companies to be innovative and create new and exciting products that meet the demands of a diverse consumer base.”
At the moment, ingredient regulations focus on the impact on human health, yet not all hazards are realized. Roquette’s Bernard highlights that awareness of endocrine disruptors and a complete ban on microplastics, including glitter and other synthetic particles, is anticipated in the next five years.
Bernard continues: “Based on current trends, regulations for cosmetic products, including makeup, are likely to become stricter, more transparent, and more aligned with environmental and health concerns in the next five years. We foresee a trend for unified regulations, with countries like the US, Canada, and South Korea possibly adopting stricter rules similar to those in the EU.”
Notably, Cosmetics Europe indicates that in the next five years, Chave does not expect any radical changes in the approach to ingredient management, but highlights that chemical regulations will become stricter.
Ingredient regulation
Regulations determine multiple facets of a makeup product as they mandate specific ingredients through testing and impact assessment.
Consistent regulations are hard to achieve as they often differ between countries.Rainsford continues: “The UK Cosmetics Regulation (UKCR) controls what may or may not be put in a cosmetic. The UKCR contains extensive Annexes of banned substances and ingredients which may only be used when they comply with specific restrictions.”
“These restrictions have been set following a detailed scientific review by a panel of independent scientists, who confirm that the ingredient is safe under these particular conditions of use.”
Ingredient regulation prevents the inclusion of toxic chemicals in makeup formulas, such as parabens, phthalates, and formaldehyde. These chemicals are known endocrine disruptors and carcinogens.
Chave also points to upcoming legislation regulating chemical ingredients in cosmetics: “This year, we will see new proposed legislation on chemicals, including the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. REACH is increasingly important for our sector — we note now that more possible restrictions on cosmetic ingredients may come to us via REACH, and we think this is a tendency that is likely to increase.”
Makeup companies, such as Roquette, must continually be aware of the regulatory landscape to keep up with emerging legislation that might dictate what ingredients they can or cannot use in makeup products.
“The primary purpose of ingredient regulations in makeup is to protect consumer health and safety while ensuring transparency and fairness. Roquette Beauté stays updated on both local and international cosmetic regulations and voluntary standards, including those of the FDA in the US and the Cosmetic Regulation in the EU,” adds Bernard.
“We meticulously review lists of approved, restricted, and banned ingredients to ensure our products comply with the law, as well as both ingredients and formulation prototypes.”
As regulations evolve, brands are under increasing pressure to ensure their ingredients meet safety standards and ethical expectations. Recently, the EU introduced Regulation 2024/2462, hardening restrictions on certain PFAS in consumer products, including cosmetics.
US vs. EU regulations
Despite the need for homogenous regulation standards across international markets, there are differences between national regulations — Bernard notes most discriminatingly between the US and the EU.
Over the next five years, makeup regulations will become stricter and provide consumers with information.
“Ingredient regulations in the EU are more stringent than those in the US. The EU has banned or restricted over 1,700 substances in cosmetics, whereas the US FDA only banned or restricted 11 ingredients,” she says.
“EU regulations focus heavily on consumer safety and transparency, adopting a proactive approach. In contrast, the US relies more on companies’ responsibility to sell safe products with fewer banned substances and less pre-market oversight.”
Cosmetic Europe’s Chave also points to developments needed in the EU to regulate the cosmetics industry further, signaling the European Commission’s announcement of its first evaluation of the CPR in over a decade.
“While the CPR has successfully met its primary objective of ensuring a unique single EU market for cosmetic products and the safety of European consumers, the current evaluation presents an opportunity to critically assess, potentially enhance, and modernize the regulatory framework in light of trends like digitalization and the need to make products and packaging more sustainable,” he says.
He adds that the EU and the US share a risk-based approach to cosmetic safety assessments, which requires companies to evaluate the safety of their ingredients.
