Beauty Care Topics

Sunscreens, deodorants, shampoos & Co. are safe in terms of health.

The cosmetic products distributed in Germany are safe and well tolerated. Consumers can apply sunscreens, deodorants or shampoos without any concerns in terms of health. This is ensured by strict legal requirements based on the European Cosmetic Products Regulation and careful safety assessments of the manufacturers. The latter are subject to regular inspections by the competent authorities, which are coordinated by the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). (For detailed information please see the article “How safe are cosmetic products?”).

Several online platforms and apps which claim to provide reliable product information for consumers can not, for different reasons, serve as shopping guide. In many cases, the data provided are not based on sound science, are outdated and/or are considered as questionable (see also this article in the "taz", 24.08.2016, in German).

This is also the case regarding the assessment of a possible hormone-like effect through such apps. Although certain organisations and media repeatedly claim to have new references available on the hormone-like acitivity of substances (which they consider as proof for a harmful health effect), there is no generally accepted evidence in science for such an observation. Hence, the selection criteria of BUND (German Confederation for Environment and Nature Conservation) used for its ToxFox campaign are completely inappropriate as an orientation aid for consumers and, therefore, lead to unjustified uncertainties. We very much regret if the impression given is incorrect. A large number of recognised scientific studies and the surveillance authorities confirm the safety and absence of health risks of the corresponding raw materials. For our member companies safe product application and health of consumers are top priorities.

The list taken by BUND as a basis, is an older so-called “list of suspect substances” of the EU authorities. The authors describe the purpose of the list as follows: “The priority list of substances for further evaluation of their role in endocrine disruption”. It clearly shows that for a classification as endocrine, i.e. a substance comparable to hormones, an individual assessment of each substance needs to be carried out. The relevant ingredients which are assessed negatively in the BUND campaign have already been assessed by the scientific advisory body of the European Commission and have been considered as safe for use in cosmetic products and hence not as “provably hazardous”.

These substances have a very weak effect. No actual influence on the hormone balance in the human body has been proven. Toxicologist Professor Gilbert Schönfelder takes a critical look at the generalised assessments of BUND in an interview with ZEIT ONLINE (in German): “...the name of a substance is not yet a risk assessment. This would require information on the amount which is contained in the product and you would have to know whether this amount of the respective substance is already harmful.”

Moreover, there are many substances in nature which have a similarity to human hormones such as certain substances in soy, milk, eggs etc. This is also pointed out by the toxicologist of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Professor Thomas Platzek, e.g. in a newspaper interview with Kölner Stadtanzeiger (in German).

More extensive external links:

Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Questions and answers on endocrine disruptors

In German: Verband der Chemischen Industrie (VCI): Endokrine Wirkung