In February 2025, the European Commission launched a call for evidence for the evaluation of the Cosmetic Products Regulation to protect public health and ensure the safety of cosmetic products in the EU market.

Cosmetics and personal care products contain chemicals to which consumers are exposed daily, and may pose short, or long-term health risks. Given that adolescents and children are particularly vulnerable, as they experience prolonged developmental phases during which chemical exposures may have compounded health implications, the regulatory framework needs to ensure that it does not pose a health risk.

As a youth organisation we call for a strengthened Cosmetic Products Regulation that better protects the health of current and future generations, with particular attention to our recommendations outlined below.

Protecting Against Endocrine Disruptors through Restriction and Elimination

The use of cosmetics that contain Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) and serious hazards such as carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic chemicals (CMRs) has been associated with a variety of chronic diseases. These include cancer, respiratory conditions, neurological disorders, and endocrine disruption. Since the susceptibility to endocrine disruptors varies with the stage of life, mini-puberty and puberty are one of the sensitive periods during which a hormonal disorder can irreversibly alter certain functions of the body.

Therefore, young people’s developing hormonal systems are particularly vulnerable to endocrine-disrupting chemicals commonly found in cosmetics. Driven by social media influence and the propagation of unrealistic beauty standards, especially among younger demographics, many cosmetic products have become integral to contemporary society.

However, there is a significant lack of information and education regarding the substances that these products contain, leading to widespread consumer unawareness about their potential health and environmental impacts. This inevitable and growing phenomenon supports the need for legal strengthening for the most harmful substances, including those impacting the endocrine, immune and neurological systems in cosmetics.

Consequently, the EDCs should be restricted and eliminated to ensure the health of current and future generations.

Addressing Toxic Cocktail Effects

In our homes and daily lives, we are exposed to hundreds of chemicals from many sources, such as flame retardants in soft furnishings, phthalates in plastic food packaging, and Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in cosmetics.

However, most chemical safety regulations still ignore the fact that we are simultaneously exposed to a mixture of hundreds of substances from various sources. Risk assessments must include comprehensive exposure scenarios that consider chronic toxicity, cumulative daily exposure from multiple sources, and the increased sensitivity of sensitive groups.

The European Commission should require that cosmetic risk assessments explicitly consider cumulative exposure to chemical mixtures from multiple products used simultaneously, rather than assessing single substances, considering increased uncertainty factors for sensitive groups.

Banning PFAS To Ensure Healthy Drinking Water 

Many chemicals, including PFAS, that are present in cosmetics (e.g. hair conditioner, foundation cream, sunscreen, etc.) are washed out, pass through the wastewater and end up in oceans, rivers, groundwater, and even drinking water. These substances hardly break down in the environment and can accumulate in water sources, complicating the purification of drinking water.

Given this, PFAS need to be fully banned from all cosmetic products to ensure healthy drinking water.