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News:Publications

ICCS guide to the assessment of eye damages and irritations

On November 5, 2026, the ICCS (International Collaboration on Cosmetic Safety) published a guide to best practices for serious eye damage and eye irritation assessment using new approach methodologies for substances in cosmetic products.

Alternatives to microbeads: an analysis by the RIVM

They have been banned since 2023. But in products where they were useful, they had to be replaced with something else. Are the alternatives to plastic microbeads safe for human health and the environment? That is the question the RIVM sought to answer in this analysis.

Cosmetics as a source of chemical pollutants: the study that points the finger

According to a study conducted by researchers at Inserm and published in the journal Environment International, using fewer (or more carefully chosen) cosmetic products can rapidly reduce exposure to certain chemical pollutants and endocrine disruptors. The researchers are calling for regulatory measures regarding the composition of products and their packaging…

IARC classifies Butyraldehyde in Group 2B

On March 27, 2026, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced the publication in The Lancet Oncology of the results of its assessment of the carcinogenicity of Butyraldehyde, a fragrance ingredient.

Two new standards for SPF measurement

The two long-awaited new standards, alternatives to ISO 24444 for measuring SPF in cosmetic products, were published on 19 December 2024. They are now available in the International Organization for Standardization’s online shop.

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

An artificial skin model for stretch marks

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Stretch marks are disfiguring skin lesions that often cause problems of self‐esteem, but little effort has been put to studying this pathology. During...

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Toxic effects of essential oils and their constituents

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Three studies, published in the July issue of the Journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, explore the toxicity of different essential oils and their con...

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

"Uncertainties" about the endocrine disrupting properties of Butylparaben (RIVM)

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On 24 May 2019, RIVM (Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) published the results of a new study on Butylparaben, focusing o...

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

DIY sunscreens: attention, danger!

Social media have changed the way people seek and share health information. Recent consumer interest in natural, organic, and ethically-made personal ...

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

When used properly, sun creams do not block the synthesis of vitamin D

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Should we choose between preventing sunburn and the development of skin cancer with sunscreen, or expose ourselves without protection to promote the s...

Thursday, May 2, 2019

How to select the best technique to identify nanomaterials

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JRC scientists have developed, together with partners from the NanoDefine project, a unique categorisation scheme which matches material properties wi...

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Limonene and Linalool hydroperoxides: Exposure source for skin sensitizing remains elusive

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IDEA’s work on a market surveillance study on Limonene and Linalool hydroperoxides in finished consumer products has been published in Food and Chemic...

Monday, February 25, 2019

These UV filters that do not harm corals

Ultraviolet (UV) filters, which are common constituents of sunscreens and other cosmetics, are reported as a threat for coastal coral reef ecosystems....

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Definition of a nanomaterial: a JRC report

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The European Joint Research Centre (JRC) has just published a report to clarify the key concepts and terms used in the definition of a nanomaterial gi...

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Do microplastics harm humans?

About 8 million metric tons of plastic waste winds up in the oceans every year — bottles, bags and doo-dads including those from the cosmetics industr...

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Drink coffee to prevent rosacea?

New research has found that caffeine from coffee may help to prevent rosacea, a common chronic inflammatory skin disease where the skin appears red an...

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Mineral oils in cosmetics: Health risks are not to be expected (BfR)

On July 2, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) published the English version of its Opinion No. 008/2018 of 27 February 2018 on min...