Australia Updates the List of Completed Evaluation of the Rolling Action Plan

Background

The Evaluations Roadmap of Australia describes a strategic approach to protect human health and the environment, which is achieved by providing information and recommendations about managing the risks that arise from introducing and using industrial chemicals. By prioritizing chemicals on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals (the Inventory), the evaluations become more risk-proportionate, timely, and targeted.

The Rolling Action Plan forms an essential part of the approach. It serves as a work plan that prioritizes chemicals for evaluation, encompassing proposed, ongoing, and recently completed evaluations based on the outcomes of the Evaluation Selection Analysis (ESA) process.

For each entry, the Rolling Action Plan includes:

The subject of the evaluation: typically the chemical’s name or the chemical group’s name
Reason for the evaluation
The time it takes to evaluate
The focus of the evaluation: chemical identity, and human health or the environment (or both)
The amendments to the list of evaluation candidates

Updates of the Rolling Action Plan

On June 28, 2024, the Australia Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) updated the Rolling Action Plan, including the list of currently completed evaluations. Among them, there are 13 chemicals regarding cosmetic use. The AICIS also provides evaluation statement for each chemicals, presenting comprehensive information on the evaluation subjects, reasons, environmental impacts, health hazards, and other relevant details.

The recently completed evaluations regarding cosmetic use are listed as follows:

EVA ID	Subject of evaluation	Reason for evaluation	Uses in cosmetic products	Time frame	Focus
EVA00105	Water-soluble zinc salts	Evaluation Selection Analysis indicated a potential environmental risk	Personal care products (without specific information about the introduction, use and end-use of these chemicals in Australia)	30/06/2024	Environment
EVA00127	2-Methoxyethyl methacrylate and 2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate	Evaluation Selection Analysis indicated a potential human health risk	Polymers used in manufacturing cosmetics (including hair products), (No specific information about the introduction, use and end-use of these chemicals in Australia)	30/06/2024	Health
EVA00129	2-Propenoic acid, 2-methyl-, 2-ethylhexyl ester (ethylhexyl methacrylate)	Evaluation Selection Analysis indicated a potential human health risk	Potential cosmetic used as artificial nail builder (No specific information about the introduction, use and end-use of these chemicals in Australia)	30/06/2024	Health
EVA00136	Benzoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, methyl ester (methyl salicylate)	Evaluation Selection Analysis indicated a potential human health risk	Fragrance in cleaning products and air freshener products (No specific information about the introduction, use and end use of the chemical in Australia.)	30/06/2024	Health
EVA00140	Chemicals that are unlikely to require further regulation to manage risks to human health	Evaluation is needed to provide information on human health risks	Personal care products	30/06/2024	Health
EVA00143	Environmental fate and effects of zinc ions	Evaluation is needed to provide information on environmental risks	Personal care products	30/06/2024	Environment
EVA00146	Medium and long chain alkyl sulfates	Evaluation Selection Analysis indicated a potential human health and environmental risk	Personal care and household cleaning products	31/12/2024	Health and Environment
EVA00148	Morpholine, 4-(1-oxo-2-propenyl)- (acryloyl morpholine)	Evaluation Selection Analysis indicated a potential human health risk	Plasticiser in cosmetic and personal care products (No specific information about the introduction, use and end-use of these chemicals in Australia)	30/06/2024	Health
EVA00149	Hydroxymethylated imidazolidinones	Evaluation Selection Analysis indicated a potential environmental risk	Personal care and household cleaning products	30/06/2024	Environment
EVA00150	Salicylic acid and its salts	Evaluation Selection Analysis indicated a potential human health and environmental risk	Personal care products	30/06/2024	Health and Environment
EVA00154	Hexamine and related chemicals	Evaluation Selection Analysis indicated a potential environmental risk	Personal care products	31/12/2024	Environment
EVA00156	Chemicals that are unlikely to require further regulation to manage risks to human health	Evaluation is needed to provide information on human health risks	Personal care products	31/12/2024	Health

After publishing the evaluations, AICIS will update the Rolling Action Plan and add details of the newly initiated evaluation. Therefore, stakeholders can be provided with more timely information and recommendations on the chemicals they intend to use.