HomeIn the newsWhich? Magazine report on shampoos

Which? Magazine report on shampoos

ou may have read a report released by Which? about shampoos and the claims they make.

CTPA would like to reassure consumers that the cosmetic products we buy are not only safe for use, but do what they say they will do on pack.

Years of scientific research goes into making each and every item in our bathroom cabinets and make-up bags. It takes teams of scientists to develop just one new product and they have to have sufficient evidence to back up any claims before a product is sold.

All cosmetic products placed on the UK and European market must comply with strict EU cosmetic laws, which are in place to ensure human safety and to protect consumers from misleading claims concerning efficacy and other characteristics of cosmetic products. It is a legal requirement that companies substantiate any claim made by their cosmetic product, and this needs robust evidence. This information is available for scrutiny by the regulating body; in the UK this is Trading Standards. It is important that this information and testing regimes by manufacturers are taken into account if any ad-hoc testing of a product is to be carried out or any challenge of an on-pack claim is made.

In addition, as well as adhering to strict cosmetics legislation, claims made in advertisements about cosmetic products are also tightly controlled. You can read more about this in detail below.

Dr Emma Meredith, Director of Science CTPA, said "It is very disappointing that cosmetic products which adhere to strict EU cosmetic laws and the Code of Advertising Practice have been unfairly called into question by this Which? report. EU law requires that cosmetic companies cannot make any claim that they cannot substantiate. Expert scientists carefully develop each cosmetic product and must build up a bank of data which provide evidence of any claims being made before the product is put on the shelf."

Read more about advertisings controls in place to protect consumers:

  • As well as the legal requirements for claim substantiation under European cosmetic laws, in the UK companies must follow the Code of Advertising Practice which are overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority. The ASA will act upon any complaint regarding advertising in the UK and, where necessary, ask the advertiser to demonstrate they hold appropriate and sufficient evidence to substantiate any claims made regarding the product at the time the claim was made.

  • Any advertised claims made about products on the television must be pre-approved by Clearcast, whose expert consultants ask for a robust body of scientific evidence before the advert can be cleared for screening on television.

  • CTPA has worked for many years to ensure both advertisers and the regulators understand what is required and CTPA has a Guide to Advertising Claims endorsed by both ASA and Clearcast.

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