An EU agency reported finding banned chemicals in hundreds of Chinese cosmetic products across various price ranges and sellers.
The Helsinki-based agency conducted inspections from November 2023 to April 2024, reviewing nearly 4,500 cosmetic items in 13 European countries and discovered that 6%, or 285 products, contained banned substances known to affect health adversely.
These products, including eyeliners, lip liners, conditioners, and hair masks, contained chemicals prohibited under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and EU law. The harmful effects of these substances may include reduced fertility and increased cancer risks.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) stated that the inspections primarily involved checking the products’ list of ingredients, a method they noted is easily replicable by consumers. Following the discovery, enforcement authorities have initiated actions to remove the non-compliant products from the market.
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Romania, and Sweden were among the countries involved in the inspections.
