The entry into force on the 11th of July of the new Cosmetics Regulation [1] was made in conjunction with the publication on the same day in the Official Journal of the European Union, of a Commission Regulation setting out common criteria for cosmetic claims [2] (here below).
Manufacturers wanting to put a claim on their product, e.g. "48 hrs efficiency" for deodorants, will have to follow six common criteria:
Legal compliance. For instance, claims that indicate that the product has been authorised or approved by a competent authority within the Union shall not be allowed.
Truthfulness.
Evidential support. For instance, claims for cosmetic products, whether explicit or implicit, shall be supported by adequate and verifiable evidence regardless of the types of evidential support used to substantiate them, including where appropriate expert assessments.
Honesty. Thus, presentations of a product’s performance shall not go beyond the available supporting evidence.
Fairness. For instance, claims for cosmetic products shall be objective and shall not denigrate the competitors, nor shall they denigrate ingredients legally used.
Informed-decision making. In particular, marketing communications shall take into account the capacity of the target audience.
National competent authorities will be able to check claims against these criteria.
