Tightening chemical requirements for cosmetics: – Easier to make better choices

The Nordic Ecolabel is now tightening its requirements for cosmetics and personal care products. The new rules involve stricter restrictions on chemicals in soap, makeup and other hygiene products. The Nordic Ecolabel reports in a press release.

– We are in contact with an incredible number of chemicals from the time we get up in the morning until we go to bed at night. It is not the content of a single product that is decisive, but it is the total amount of potentially harmful chemicals that we want to limit, says Cathrine Pia Lund, CEO of the Nordic Ecolabel.

A certification from the Nordic Ecolabel is time-limited, therefore products that have the ecolabel must document again whether they meet the stricter requirements.

This is the fourth time that the requirements for cosmetics have been tightened, both for the product itself and for the packaging.

According to a Nordic survey conducted by Opinion for the Nordic Ecolabel, 84 percent of Norwegian consumers find it difficult to know whether the products they buy contain harmful chemicals.

The new requirements include stricter limits for non-biodegradable substances, a ban on plastic fibres in wet wipes and stricter packaging requirements. In addition, all perfume allergens on the EU’s extended list are now excluded.

– It is completely unrealistic to expect consumers to familiarize themselves with long lists of ingredients on all the everyday products we buy. It must become easier to make better choices, and then we depend on serious players providing simple and credible information about their products, says Lund.