Food and Health E-ssentials

ASEAN UPDATES CONTAMINANT LIMITS IN COSMETICS 

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has published an updated version of its guidelines on limits for microbial contaminants, heavy metals and trace impurities in cosmetic products.

Updated following a meeting of the ASEAN Cosmetic Scientific Body (ACSB) in Myanmar earlier this year, Version 3.0 of the ASEAN Guidelines on Limits of Contaminants for Cosmetics now establishes limits on 1,4-dioxane, a trace impurity. An initial limit of NMT 25 mg/kg or 25 mg/L (25 ppm) will take effect as of 19 June 2020. That limit will then be reduced to NMT 10mg/kg or 10 mg/L (10 ppm) three years later, on 19 June 2023.

The ASEAN Guidelines sets recommend limits for cosmetic additives and contaminants based on current scientific information, and serves as an important reference for manufacturers of cosmetic products destined for ASEAN countries.

The complete text of Version 3.0 of the ASEAN Guidelines on Limits of Contaminants for Cosmetics is available here.