Abstract
Products which are not compliant with legal requirements and which pose a serious risk to health and safety of consumers are notified in the European rapid alert system for products, called RAPEX. The reasons why personal care products were notified in RAPEX from 2006 to 2015 were compiled and analyzed. 99% of the 724 personal care products which were notified in that period pose a serious chemical risk as they contain substances which are prohibited or restricted in the European cosmetics regulation, such as for example hydroquinone (157 products), metals (114), preservatives (90), phthalates (57), glucocorticoids (35), N-nitrosodiethanolamine (27), phenylenediamines (24), peroxides (16), or aromatic hydrocarbons (14). 85 products were contaminated with potential pathogenic microorganisms, e.g. Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Burkholderia cepacia. The marketing surveillance of personal care products relies on spot checks and consumer complaints and is not comprehensive considering the huge number of personal care products on the European market and the legal requirements for more than 1800 substances in the cosmetics regulation. It remains unknown how many products of serious risk escape the spot checks. Enhanced market surveillance, together with enforced producer responsibility and raised consumer awareness are imperative necessities with today's ample supply of personal care products.
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