Taiwan Sets Safety Requirements for Children Cosmetics

Take home:

"Taiwan Food and Drug Administration" released and implemented a regulation named “Guidelines for Safety of Children Cosmetics” on Oct 14. The regulation sets a series of detailed requirements to ensure the safety of children cosmetics.

The requirements companies must comply with include:

1. Ingredients with safe usage history should be preferentially used by companies when formulating children cosmetics. Companies shall minimize use of fragrances, perfume, colorants and preservatives.
2. Total microbial counts in children cosmetics shall be less than 100 CFU/g(ml). Escherichia coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus aureus should not be found during tested.
3. The appearance, color, packaging, labels and size shall not mislead children that products can be eaten.
4. For medicated products (shampoo excluded) with salicylic acid as the main ingredient used to soften cuticles and preventing acne, their labels shall indicate that “children under 3 are forbidden to use the product”.
5. Cosmetics containing “Alpha Hydroxy Acid” or its preparations shall be marked with “infants and children should not use the product”.
6. For cosmetics containing camphor, menthol and methyl salicylate, if there is a possibility that children under 2 may use them, their packaging, labels and instructions shall indicate that “children under 2 shall use it under the guidance of doctors or pharmacists.
7. It is recommended for children cosmetics to mark “use it under the supervision of adults” or similar sentences with the same meaning.
8. For cosmetics in pressed containers, it is recommended to mark “avoid spraying in eyes, do not pierce or burn it, keep it out of the direct sun and place it in the shelter, keep away from fire and heat” or similar sentences with the same meaning.

However, with regard to item 1, there is no list stipulating the unsafe fragrance, perfume, colorants and preservatives. Hong Guodeng, a TFDA official explained, “We will formulate related regulations in the following months but there is no timeline. At present companies are recommended to refer to international standards.”

For parabens which are the most commonly used preservatives, Hong revealed the regulatory trend. Hong noted that there was a global scientific consensus on the association of paraben usage with skin irritation in children. In addition Europe has forbidden the use of parabens. Referring to the European standards, Taiwan will prohibit parabens for use in cosmetics for children under 3. Other cosmetics containing parabens shall be marked with “children under 3 shall not use the product”. The rule is estimated to be implemented in early next year.