There have been many studies over the last few years knocking chemicals and other ingredients in cosmetics, and claiming natural alternatives to be ‘safer’.
Safety assessments
“This is simply not the case,” says a CTPA announcement. “The fact is, no matter what the product and wherever or however the ingredients are made, they HAVE to be safe and they are rigorously assessed to make sure that they are. It’s the law and it's that simple.”
"Since 2005 the number of people that have seen media reports about alleged harmful effects of cosmetics and toiletries has more than doubled, from 14 per cent in 2005 to 34 per cent today," adds Dr Chris Flower, director general.
The trade association explains that in order to provide as much choice as possible for everyone, the cosmetics industry is constantly innovating so that it can provide a wide range of safe products to meet different lifestyles, cultures and budgets.
This means products contain ingredients that are synthetic/man-made as well as those sourced from nature.
Chemicals are ubiquitous
“Everything is made of chemicals, from cosmetics, to water, to the human body. Chemicals are the building blocks of all substances, both natural and man-made. We can think of plants as ‘miniature chemical factories,” it says.
The CTPA states that because of strict European laws and rigorous safety assessments, all ingredients and products found on shop shelves are safe, meaning there is no question on some being more dangerous than others.
The safety assessments take account of all the ingredients used in the product, irrespective of their source, and whether ingredients are natural or man-made is not factored in.
“What’s more important is how much of the ingredient you are using and in what way you are using it,” adds the CTPA.