As it does every year, the European Commission has just published the results of the rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products (Safety Gate) for the previous year. And, in 2024, cosmetics presented the greatest health risk, accounting for 36% of alerts.
In 2024, a total of 4,137 alerts were notified, the highest number ever recorded since the system was launched in 2003.
The Commission explains this figure by the fact that authorities are using the platform more frequently to report and deal with potential threats to consumer safety.
Last year, cosmetics (36%) remained the products presenting the greatest health risks, followed by toys (15%), electrical appliances (10%), motor vehicles (9%) and chemicals (6%).
They top the charts in many European countries, sometimes by a wide margin. Alerts concerning them represent:
• 94% in Italy
• 79% in Luxembourg
• 53% in Romania
• 47% in Hungary
• 46% in Czechia…
The main cause of risk in almost half of the alerts was the presence of hazardous chemical ingredients, in particular, for cosmetics, allergenic fragrances.
97% of cosmetics notified contained BMHCA (Butylphenyl Methylpropional), totally banned by Regulation (EU) 2020/1182 since March 1, 2022.
Following these alerts, market surveillance authorities implemented over 4,200 follow-up measures to stop the sale of these products or withdraw them from the market.
It should be noted that the Commission has announced that it is working closely with the national market surveillance authorities to …
