New Zealand announces new provision for nano materials labelling in cosmetics

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in New Zealand has announced a new provision of labelling nanomaterials in cosmetic products offered in the country with effect from 1 July 2015.

According to the authority, as far as nanomaterials are concerned, they must be clearly visible on the product’s list of ingredients and should be followed by the word nano in brackets.

The decision is a part of the amendments of Cosmetic Products Group Standard, a regulatory authority for cosmetics, according to cosmeticsdesign-europe.com.

The amendments include conforming to the definitions of some cosmetic products in accordance with EU legislation and making sure that manufacturers provide batch and source code information on cosmetic labels, which would help in identifying products when a product is recalled.

"If a manufacturer, importer or distributor becomes aware that a cosmetic product presents a risk to human health after it has been placed on the New Zealand market, they must notify the EPA and provide details of the non-compliance and corrective measures taken," said EPA quoted by the website.

New Zealand EPA’s regulations on ingredients found in cosmetics are said to be in accordance with the European Union Cosmetics Directive and the Cosmetic Products Regulation.

A suggestion was made by the European Commission that the rules relating to nanomaterials in cosmetics should be reviewed regularly, and from January 2014, a catalogue of nanomaterials will be made available publicly in this regard.

The EU Cosmetic Regulation has noted that there is insufficient information available on the risks associated with nanomaterials.

An amendment was adopted by the authority following inconsistency in the terminology used in the group standard that was noted by submitters, which led to the term ‘nanoparticle’ being replaced by the term ‘nanomaterial’ in the group standard, in conformity with EU regulation.

In addition to this, the EPA has banned an ingredient o-aminophenol in the usage of hair dyes for twelve months, due to the lack of information available to assess its safety.