Sector-wide statement ahead of the publication of the Commission’s Omnibus proposal on Chemicals

Championing Smart Simplification: Prioritising safety, innovation and competitiveness in the EU’s cosmetic and fragrance sectors

The European cosmetics, fragrance, and essential oils industries welcome the European Commission’s continued efforts to streamline and modernise cornerstone sectoral legislation, including the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation and the Cosmetic Products Regulation (CPR) whilst maintaining a clear focus on consumer safety.

Our safety-first commitment

Our sectors are unwavering in their commitment to consumer safety. This commitment is supported by rigorous scientific research, continuous innovation, and adherence to the highest standards of operational excellence. We uphold these standards by engaging with stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, to ensure that consumer safety remains at the forefront of our industries’ operations.

Fostering innovation and competitiveness

While prioritising safety, we nevertheless recognise the urgent need to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens, improve legal clarity, and introduce proportionate regulatory measures – particularly to foster innovation, support the vitality of our industries and ensure the viability of SMEs. These shared objectives, which we hope will be fully reflected in the forthcoming Omnibus proposal, are vital to sustaining Europe’s global leadership in the creation and manufacture of safe, sustainable, and high-quality products.

Smart simplification, with safety as the priority

Simplification is about streamlining processes. Simplification does not undermine consumer safety. On the contrary, a smarter and more proportionate regulatory approach is essential to preserving the EU’s high standards of protection while enhancing industrial resilience and competitiveness. This includes aligning regulatory measures with actual conditions of use, ensuring clarity in implementation, and avoiding duplication or unintended consequences.

One key example can be found in the interplay between the CLP and CPR. In its current form, this interaction can lead to the automatic bans of cosmetic ingredients based solely on hazard classifications. This can happen without practical consideration of actual risk under conditions of intended cosmetic use. As a result, demonstrably safe ingredients, including those of natural origin – many even allowed in food - or with a long history of safe use, may be removed from the cosmetics market. These unintended consequences risk undermining existing products, future product development, personal choice, and the viability of EU-based manufacturing without necessarily delivering improvements to consumer safety outcomes.

A call for proportionate, workable solutions

We look forward to a forthcoming Omnibus proposal that addresses these challenges with concrete and science-based solutions for the CPR, including:

• A revised Article 15.2 of the Cosmetic Products Regulation, strengthening a risk-based exemption pathway grounded in assessments by the European Commission’s own Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) and based on actual conditions of cosmetic use.
• Realistic and workable reformulation timelines, particularly for complex cosmetic and fragrance formulations, and transitional periods for compliance with new bans or restrictions.
• Recognition and protection of natural ingredients and essential oils, which are sought after by consumers and are integral to Europe’s cultural heritage, bio-economic fabric, and international reputation.

A unified call

We call on EU decision-makers to stay the course toward a more balanced and proportionate regulatory environment. Our industries’ value chains, spanning farmers, ingredient manufacturers, compounders, traders and suppliers, fragrance houses, SMEs and global brands are fully mobilised to support this effort with science-based input, usage data, and constructive dialogue.

Together, we can secure Europe’s role as a global reference for safety, excellence, innovation and manufacturing in cosmetics and fragrances, without compromising on consumer protection, regulatory effectiveness or competitiveness.

Co-signatories (alphabetical order)

• Cosmetics Europe
• European Federation for Cosmetic Ingredients (EFfCI)
• European Federation of Essential Oils (EFEO)
• International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades (IFEAT)
• International Fragrance Association (IFRA)
• International Natural and Organic Cosmetics Association (NATRUE)
• SMEunited

A PDF of this statement is available: here