The cosmetics industry has one clear focus: safety. That means not only making sure products are safe for us to use, but also ensuring they are safe for the environment after they’ve been washed down the drain, rinsed off in the shower or evaporated into the air.
To achieve this, companies carry out detailed environmental risk assessments on both ingredients and finished products. These assessments are designed to make sure that, once a product enters the environment, there is no risk to nature.
The environmental safety of cosmetic ingredients is managed by the REACH chemicals regulation in the UK and EU.
What information do we need to assess environmental safety?
Understanding environmental safety comes down to answering three important questions:
- First, how much of the substance could end up in the environment?
- Second, where does it go once it is there - does it stay in water, soil, or air?
- Third, what effect could it have on the environment and wildlife?
Simply detecting a substance in the environment doesn’t automatically mean it poses a risk, for example, glass being eroded by the sea over time to form sea glass. Likewise, even a substance that could potentially cause harm may not be dangerous if it’s only present in tiny amounts, or if environmental conditions prevent it from having an effect. An example is formaldehyde which is found in apples and carrots.
Understanding exposure: how much is in the environment?
To work out how much of an ingredient could enter the environment, companies use specially developed computer models that track what happens to ingredients after products are used. These models estimate where the ingredient goes, how it behaves and whether it breaks down or persists. To support this, internationally recognised tests assess how ingredients biodegrade under realistic environmental conditions.
Assessing the impact: could it cause harm?
Laboratory tests are also used to understand whether an ingredient could affect the environment or living organisms.
Sunscreens and coral reefs
A key example of the industry’s environmental commitment is its work on understanding the safety of sunscreens in marine environments. You may have seen media reports suggesting that the UV filter Benzophenone-3, also known as Oxybenzone, can harm coral reefs, and that locations such as Hawaii have banned its use in sunscreens.
It’s important to be clear: there is currently no proven link between the use of UV filters in sunscreens and coral reef damage in real-world conditions. The often-cited 2016 study behind these reports was carried out in a laboratory setting which does not reflect natural environmental exposure levels. That study cannot and does not demonstrate a direct link between sunscreen use and coral decline in the sea.
The deterioration of coral reefs worldwide is a serious environmental concern, but leading scientists agree that the major causes are complex and include climate change, ocean warming, pollution and overfishing.
At the same time, sunscreens remain a vital tool in protecting human health. Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers, and excessive sun exposure is a leading cause. Authorities such as Cancer Research UK, the Department of Health, and the British Association of Dermatologists all recommend sunscreen use as part of sun-safe behaviour.
The industry’s role in coral reef research
The cosmetics industry is actively investing in scientific research to understand how UV filters behave in the environment, including their potential impact on coral reefs. For example, scientists from the cosmetics sector collaborate with independent experts to publish peer-reviewed studies on how environmental safety is assessed.
A major global project is currently underway, funded by the industry and led by the International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety (ICCS), to accurately model how UV filters behave in both freshwater and marine environments. This work is being conducted with input from environmental scientists, regulatory bodies, and independent researchers to ensure credibility and transparency. You can read more in this scientific poster here.
Microplastics and the environment
‘Microplastic’ can refer to tiny pieces of plastic of all kinds present in the marine environment. This microplastic originates from a variety of sources, mainly from the breakdown of larger plastics, and these microplastics are known as ‘secondary microplastics’. ‘Primary microplastics’ are those which are directly released to the environment as small particles.
In 2015 the UK and European cosmetics industry volunteered to phase-out exfoliating plastic microbeads in wash-off personal care products, because ingredients in wash-off products go directly down the drain.
In recent years, other solid, man-made, non-degradable ingredients in cosmetics have been included into the umbrella term ‘microplastics’ because they persist in the environment. These ingredients are currently vital to the performance of cosmetic and personal care products, including those essential to our health such as sunscreens and toothpaste as well as those critical to our wellbeing such as skincare and make-up.
However, there are solid, man-made polymers which do break down in the environment and the cosmetics industry is innovating to increase the range of ingredients which break down easily in the environment, and this takes time.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has undertaken the most extensive investigation of microplastics by a regulatory authority anywhere in the world. ECHA has estimated that microplastic emissions from cosmetics account for 0.03% of the total amount of plastic waste. This is equivalent to 3 in 10000, or 3 drops in a pint of water.
Read more: FAQ on Microplastics
Bringing it altogether: is it safe?
Environmental protection is an integral part of cosmetic product development. From advanced risk assessments to ongoing research, the industry is committed to safeguarding both people and the planet, based on evidence, not assumptions.
Once we understand both the exposure (how much of the ingredient is in the environment) and the hazard (what it could potentially do), the two are compared. The concentration of the substance in the environment must be significantly lower than the amount proven to be safe for wildlife and ecosystems.
By combining robust science, modern testing, and strict environmental assessments, the cosmetics industry works to ensure that products not only meet safety standards for people, but for our planet as well.
