Nanomaterials and cosmetics: Report from the Commission
The European Commission has published its report on the use of nanomaterials in cosmetic products and the revision of the Cosmetics Regulation with regard to nanomaterials.
It states that on average, approximately 3,620 new products containing nanomaterials were notified each year between 2016 and 2020 (every day, approximately ten new cosmetic products containing nanomaterials are placed on the market in the EU).
Unsurprisingly, the most notified substances, accounting for more than 70% of all nanomaterial notifications, are titanium dioxide, silicas and carbon black.
The report recalls that most of the opinions of the European Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) concerning the safety of notified nanomaterials could not be concluded due to the absence or lack of data: “it is therefore important that those responsible provide information as accurate as possible”.
The report remains open to aligning the definition of “nanomaterial” in the Cosmetics Regulation with the Commission’s recommendation (currently under review), subject to “further evaluation to assess the potential effects”. The Commission underlines the need to improve the “notification process of the nanomaterial and, in particular, its duration and the effect of the expiry of the deadline provided in the Cosmetic Regulation“. As most EU citizens feel that it is important to be informed about the presence of nanomaterials, the Commission considers that “digital labeling could be considered to complement and further improve the labeling of nanomaterials in cosmetic products”.
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Upcoming Nano Agenda
- Webinar presenting the example guide produced by NanoMesureFrance, to illustrate the difficulties encountered in dimensional analysis of particles by electron and atomic force microscopy.
- Organizers: Eurotox
- Speaker: Carola Voss (Helmholtz Zentrum München)
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- MOOC from April 28 to June 22, 2025
- Public who has carried out two or more years of scientific studies at university, as well as professionals or the self-educated who want to discover, learn more or acquire specific knowledge in some area of nanoscience.
- Organizer: Paris Saclay University
- Course paln:
- Theme 1: Introduction to nanoscience and nanotechnology – Let’s lay the foundations and discover the key concepts of this field.
- Theme 2: How can you “see” and fabricate nano-objects? We will discover what tools are used to observe matter at these scales and what techniques the scientist can use to make objects that are only a few billionths of a meter in size.
- Theme 3: Nanochemistry – From carbon to porous solids and nanoparticle synthesis; applications of the field.
- Theme 4: Nanophysics – Quantum effects and nanoelectronic devices; optical nanostructures: the confinement of light and emission; nanosensors; applications of the field.
- Theme 5: Nanobiology, Nanomedicine, Micro-nanofluidics – The study and manipulation of molecules; treating diseases with nanomedicine; the on-chip manipulation of liquids for medical diagnosis; applications of the field.
- Theme 6: Nanoscience and Society: Are Nanotechnologies dangerous? Societal, health and environmental issues.
- Website: www.fun-mooc.fr/en/courses/understanding-nanosciences
- E-learning program: awareness-raising for personnel who come into contact with nanomaterials during research, formulation, production, maintenance, cleaning, upkeep, etc., as well as safety coordinators or engineers, facility managers, heads of laboratories where nanoparticles are handled.
- Organizers: INSTN Grenoble (CEA)
- On the program:
- 1 – Introduction, definition and characteristics of nanomaterials
- 2 – Toxicity of nanomaterials: the state of knowledge
- 3 – Metrology and characterization of nanomaterials
- 4 – Prevention and protection against nanomaterials in the workplace
- 5 – Quiz: assessment of learning outcomes
- The 2-hour course can be viewed for one month from the date of registration.
- Website: https://instn.cea.fr/…risques-lies-aux-nanomateriaux…