European Parliament backs effective, safety-focused framework for cosmetics and fragrances under Omnibus VI

Key messages:

• The European Parliament’s report on the Omnibus VI ensures a targeted adjustment to the regulatory framework for cosmetic products tackling long-standing competitiveness hurdles while maintaining the highest consumer safety standards.
• Industry highlights the need to reduce administrative burdens as key to boosting long-term innovation and global leadership.
• Consumer safety is the shared priority of EU policymakers and industry

“We welcome the European Parliament’s report adopted today; in our view, it marks progress in the right direction, which is reducing administrative burden, while maintaining the highest safety standards” said John Chave, Director-General of Cosmetics Europe. EU cosmetics framework is one of the most stringent consumer safety focused systems worldwide. Omnibus VI proposal does not relax any safeguards already in place, as some misleadingly claim, but aims at streamlining the system so that it works effectively helping boost competitiveness and innovation” – Chave added.

“The European Parliament’ s report ensures that Omnibus VI proposal demonstrates how regulatory decisions on cosmetic safety can, and should, be grounded in robust scientific evidence and transparent processes” Alexander Mohr, PhD, President of the International Fragrance Association (IFRA). “Throughout the entire process, consumer safety has remained the central objective of both EU legislators and the cosmetics and fragrance industry, including companies of all sizes across the sector”.

As the European Parliament enters interinstitutional negotiations with the Council of the European Union, the cosmetics and fragrance industries underline that the current text reflects a balanced, science-based approach and call upon the legislators for constructive discussion during the trilogue phase to ensure an effective regulatory framework.