Cosmetics have been in use for thousands of years. However, the major difference is that products used in ancient times were all natural like rosewater, bee-wax or olive oil and we could say they were safe for use on the human body.
Speaking in general terms, a cosmetic and personal care product can be defined as “any substance or preparation for human use for the purpose of cleansing, beautifying or altering the appearance commonly to include personal toiletry products (such as hair shampoos and body lotions) as well as beauty products and fragrances”.
Today, along with the use of natural ingredients cosmetics contain chemical compounds that may be natural of synthetic. Sometimes the synthetic ingredients used in these products could not be safe for use on the human body, or their composition could alter over a period of time to become harmful or reactive.
Adulteration, use of harmful or banned ingredients, wrong labelling or incomplete testing of product are some other practices that could lead to very serious charges or withdrawal of the product from the market as danger of permanent damage to the health of the consumer becomes very real in this scenario.
Almost all countries have regulations in place which are important not only for the manufacturers of cosmetic companies but also for raw material suppliers, marketing companies, distributors and retailers. In India the regulatory body for cosmetics is theoffice of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). According to regulations laid down cosmetic and personal care products should be
- Free from harmful microorganisms and should be safe for human use
- Be tested from a recognized laboratory and certificate obtained
- Correctly labelled with ingredient listings and packaged properly
So how can manufacturers ensure that their products are safe enough to be placed in the market?
There are many testing laboratories recognized by government that test cosmetic and personal care products.
- The test includes testing that verifies the claim on the labels and that the product is truly ‘free-from’ substances like lead, arsenic and heavy metals which are not recommended for use in cosmetic and personal care products.
- Testing of new cosmetic products is also necessary to ensure that no chemical change takes place, there is no change colour, or that it does not smell bad and has a self life as stated on the label.
- Testing also ensures that the cosmetic will not separate into liquids, encourage growth of fungus and molds or cause skin irritation.
We have three state of the art laboratories in Delhi, Baddi and Bangalore approved by CDSCO and routinely carry out testing of heavy metals in cosmetics and various other tests required for registration of cosmetic products in India for leading cosmetic companies, importers and traders.
Please contact us today using the quick query form on the right or by calling us now on +91-11-45754575 for testing of Cosmetic & Personal Care Products.
