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News

Unfounded Fears Over Perfume

1st September 2008

You might have seen some headlines today raising questions over the safety of perfumes and other cosmetics for the unborn children of pregnant women. This follows comments made by Professor Richard Sharpe from the Medical Research Council ahead of a speech he is giving this week.

We are concerned that this media coverage might alarm some people, particularly at a time when they should be receiving reassurance and avoiding stress during pregnancy. We’d like to give you a few additional facts about this issue.

• The research was carried out on rats. It is not surprising that feeding large doses of substances to animals will produce negative effects. However, the important fact is that in normal cosmetic use, people are exposed to very low levels of these substances. They are in creams or perfumes which are applied to the outside of the skin rather than ingested, and so do not have the same negative effects.

• This research didn’t look specifically at cosmetic products. In addition the issues raised by the researcher are not new and have already been thoroughly investigated by scientists – both within the cosmetics industry and by independent scientific committees. All confirm the safety of cosmetics and perfumes.

• All cosmetic products are thoroughly tested, including taking into account that any product might be used by pregnant women. Cosmetic products are subject to stringent regulatory procedures, which ensure they are absolutely safe for people to use and enjoy.

 

Professor Richard Sharpe has expressed concern on the Sense about Science website over the reports in the consumer press noting that the research is not specific to cosmetic products or their ingredients and the findings were taken out of context and proportion.

Susan Seenan from Infertility Network UK has been quick to reassure the public and place the reports into perspective. For more information : www.infertilitynetworkuk.com.

 

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) is an association of manufacturers of cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery products, founded in 1945 to promote the interests of members, primarily with government. That remit has now extended to include the European Commission and many other regulatory bodies, national and international groups.

Members are manufacturers (full members), raw material suppliers and suppliers of services (associate members). Our Council is made up of senior industry representatives from small, medium, large and multi-national companies. Activities are funded through membership subscriptions.

The focus of our work centres on scientific, regulatory and legislative issues. We have a constant dialogue with the UK Government and this process is repeated at European level through COLIPA, the European trade body and internationally through an extensive network of national association contacts.

Visit the CTPA main website »

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) is the voice of the cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery industry in the UK. Our members vary from small and medium-sized companies to large multi-nationals and include manufacturers, raw material suppliers and service providers.

Our primary goal is to promote good working practice to ensure that consumers are provided with the very best products. To this end, we co-ordinate the industry's viewpoint on key issues such as science, innovation and safety and maintain an open dialogue with government, both at UK and European level, as well as with international regulatory authorities and key opinion formers.

CTPA recognises that the consumer has a right to understand the processes that industry and the regulatory bodies go through to ensure the safety and efficacy of cosmetic and toiletry products. Over the years we have steadily increased our focus on providing the public with direct access to the industry's perspective and progress on safety, science and innovation.

In April 2008 we launched our consumer information website, www.thefactsabout.co.uk, which provides scientific facts about common ingredients used in cosmetics and the industry's perspective on common safety questions as well as information on how products are regulated to ensure safety and efficacy.

Further information on the work of the CTPA is available from our main website www.ctpa.org.uk which also houses the full set of legislation under 'Cosmetic regulations'.