The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on Wednesday, October 30, that it had found traces of dangerous chemicals in hundreds of cosmetic products sold in Europe.
Of the 4,500 products examined by the agency between November 2023 and April 2024 in 13 European countries, 285 (6%) had traces of these substances prohibited due to their harmful effects on health, indicated the institution based in Helsinki, Finland. .
According to ECHA, the products in question included eyeliners, lipsticks, conditioners and hair masks.
The identified substances are banned by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, as well as European legislation, because exposure to them can reduce fertility and increase the risk of cancer.
To detect them, ECHA simply checked the list of ingredients that appear on the products. this method “can be easily used by consumers”the agency noted. “The competent authorities have taken measures to remove non-compliant products from the market”ECHA stressed.
The controls were carried out in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Romania and Sweden.
