Abstract

Today, safety assessments are often prepared after the product has been developed and this very often means that products have to be adjusted.
Labels, user instructions, packaging and advertising have to be changed in order to fulfill the safety guidelines. For these reasons, safety assessment should, in the future, become an integrated part of the product development in order to avoid waste time and extra expenses. This article will provide recommendations on how to integrate safety assessment in the development process.

INTRODUCTION

In the past, products have often been developed in order to satisfy customer expectations regarding effects, cosmetic acceptance and price. Today, cosmetic development and regulations are more complex. Many considerations have to be taken in order to meet the marketplaces with products fulfilling all requirements regarding mildness, ecology, natural sources and safety etc.

Safety Assessment
Safety assessments represent a status evaluation of all relevant issues related to the safe use of cosmetic products. Several relevant issues have to be covered: Storage, microbiology, packaging, use and potential misuse; claims, user advice, documentation on positive effects, affect of ingredients on the body as well as toxicological and metabolic considerations.
Also to be considered are dangerous ingredients and the basis of complying with the cosmetic regulation represented by the positive and limiting lists of preservatives, colors, UV filters, some natural ingredients and a number of other ingredients. (1)

Product Development
Product development can, in practice, have a numbe ...