The past few years in the cosmetics industry have been a true rollercoaster of legislative changes. Every cosmetic company is obligated to adjust its products within the transitional periods specified by the legislator, which is not always an easy task. The multitude of changes is becoming increasingly difficult to verify, and tracking them consumes a significant amount of technologists’ working time.
Updates to lists of prohibited ingredients and new labeling standards are just a glimpse of the changes.
To help companies meet these challenges, we created CosmetoSAFE Assist – Regulatory Affairs Software that automates and simplifies the analysis of product compliance with regulations, ensuring that companies meet both current and future legal requirements.
The increasing complexity of cosmetic legislation
Over the past decade, the cosmetics industry has faced stringent legal requirements within the European Union. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, which includes a ban on animal testing and strict rules on ingredient transparency, forms the foundation of compliance in Europe. However, these regulations are not static. New updates continue to shape the market, particularly in areas such as sustainability, ingredient safety, and consumer protection.
Additionally, the European Green Deal, with its emphasis on reducing environmental impact, introduces more stringent guidelines on packaging, waste reduction, and the use of eco-friendly ingredients.
To remain competitive, companies must not only comply with existing regulations but also anticipate and adapt to future legal changes. This necessitates continuously updating documentation, analyzing ingredient safety, and ensuring compliance with marketing claims.
CosmetoSAFE Assist – we know how to ensure your products’ compliance with legislation
CosmetoSAFE Assist is a tool designed to support cosmetic companies in ensuring regulatory compliance. By automating the process of creating and managing documentation, it minimizes the risk of human error and ensures that all legal requirements are met efficiently.
- Automated ingredient monitoring and compliance checks
CosmetoSAFE Assist integrates with key databases such as COSING (Cosmetic Ingredients Database) and ECHA (European Chemicals Agency), enabling companies to monitor ingredient compliance in real-time. This is particularly important in today’s rapidly changing regulatory environment, where new ingredient restrictions are being introduced. The platform automatically flags ingredients that do not meet legal requirements, helping companies avoid the use of prohibited substances and ensuring product safety. - Streamlined Product Information Files (PIF)
According to Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, every cosmetic product sold within the EU must have a detailed Product Information File (PIF) available for inspection by regulatory authorities. This file must include information about the product’s formula, safety assessment, production details, and evidence supporting its claimed effects. Manually creating such a file is time-consuming and prone to errors. CosmetoSAFE Assist automates the creation of PIFs by gathering relevant data from various sources, ensuring that the documentation is complete, accurate, and ready for review. - Compliance with marketing claims
The EU regulatory framework requires that all claims about cosmetic products be substantiated by evidence and not mislead consumers. This applies to a wide range of claims, including those about product efficacy, environmental benefits, or ingredient sourcing. CosmetoSAFE Assist evaluates the compliance of marketing claims with current regulations, ensuring they meet the criteria outlined in the EU guidelines for cosmetic claims. This feature helps companies avoid penalties and reputational damage resulting from false or unsubstantiated claims. - Adapting to regulatory changes
With frequent changes in regulations, maintaining compliance requires constant vigilance. CosmetoSAFE Assist enables companies to track regulatory changes and automatically update product documentation and ingredient lists in line with new requirements. This proactive approach reduces the burden on regulatory departments and ensures that companies are always prepared for audits and inspections.
Benefits of Compliance Process Automation
By leveraging CosmetoSAFE Assist, companies in the cosmetics industry can gain numerous benefits:
- Time efficiency: the automation of documentation processes reduces the time required to maintain regulatory compliance. Regulatory and R&D departments can focus on innovation and product development instead of spending hours manually updating files and verifying ingredient compliance.
- Risk reduction: the ability to track and monitor regulatory changes in real-time helps companies avoid costly mistakes, such as using prohibited ingredients or making non-compliant marketing claims. This minimizes the risk of fines, product recalls or other legal consequences.
- Increased accuracy: automation ensures that all documentation is accurate and up-to-date, significantly reducing the risk of human errors that could lead to compliance issues.
- Faster Time-to-Market: with complete and compliant documentation, companies can launch products more swiftly, enhancing their competitiveness in an industry where time-to-market is crucial.
As the cosmetics industry evolves, regulatory compliance is becoming an increasingly significant challenge. The introduction of new regulations and shifting consumer expectations require companies to be both flexible and precise in their approach to product development and marketing. CosmetoSAFE Assist provides the tools needed to automate and streamline compliance processes, helping companies navigate the complex regulatory landscape with confidence.
