39,9, JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS THE PREVENTION OF HAZARDS FROM CHRONIC TOXICITY OF COSMETICS AND TOILET PREPARATIONS ThE SYMPOSIUM on this subject, the sixth of a series organised by the European Committee on Chronic Toxicity Hazards ("Eurotox") was held at the Chester Beatty Research Institute, London, S.W.3, from 30th October to 2nd November 1961, organised by Professor E. Boyland, and with Professor R. Truhaut as Chairman. The participants, from ten different countries (Appendix I) approved unanimously of the following report. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS It was recognised that the use of cosmetic and toilet preparations could contribute to the protection of health and improvement of we!l-being of the population, sometimes indirectly the indiscriminate use of certain ingredients in cosmetic preparations could nevertheless endanger public health. The decision was taken beforehand to consider chronic toxicity in general, but to exclude sensitisation and allergy, which would form the subject of a future symposium. In these studies, it was agreed that close co-operation between toxicolo- gists and specialists in cosmetic science was highly desirable in order to obtain information about the substances employed and the condition of their manufacture and use. The participants look forward to this co-operation with industry being strengthened and maintained. In this meeting, it was obviously impossible to enter into details or to examine all products and ingredient groups. This Report should be con- sidered as an approach to the subject. The effects of long-delayed toxicity are difficult to detect in man. Even if only a small proportion of the population is subject to such hazards, everything should be done to avoid them. An incidence of cancer, for example, in a proportion of the population much lower than that which could be assessed by present biological methods, including both epidemiologi- cal and experimental, could still be serious. Although no cases of cancer have been directly attributable to cosmetics, it is better to pre- vent disease from chronic toxicity than to find out its cause in twenty years' time.

PREVENTION OF HAZARDS FROM CHRONIC TOXICITY OF COSMETICS 323 CONTROL OF CONSTITUENTS Control over the constituents of cosmetic and toilet preparations is one way in which the exposure to substances having delayed toxic effects could be reduced. The problem of control of these preparations is similar to that of food in general, but different in details*. In the field of food additives the principle of positive lists of suitable products is generally accepted. In cosmetic and toilet preparations the ingredients could be classified as suggested for the colours by the Deutsche Forschungsgerneinschaft-Farbstoff Kommission-Mitteilung 8** as follows: C -- Completely acceptable for use in any cosmetic including those that can be ingested (e.g. in lipstick or dental prepara- tions). C.-Ext. -- For external use only-not necessarily safe for ingestion. C.-W.R. -- For use in washing and rinsing, or as a solvent or pro- pel!ant, provided that the material has only transient application not necessarily safe when ingested or remain- ing on the skin. Classification should depend on the nature of the preparation and, more especially, its usage. The substances in class C which are completely accept- able should either be "generally recognised as safe," or have been approved after testing in at least two species of animal, for example, by feeding to rats over a period of two years and by skin application to mice for 80 weeks. Dogs may be useful for discovering toxic effects in short-term experiments, but appear to be unsuitable animals for the skin testing of cosmetic ingredi- ents, because. dog skin is relatively impermeable, or for life span studies, since they live for 15 years. Substances in the categories C.-Ext. and C.-W.R. may be controlled by negative lists. Products known to be harm- ful under the conditions of use in cosmetics should not be allowed. Substances already in use might be included in provisional positive lists, unless there is reasonable evidence that their use is harmful. As soon as possible the available information, including experience of human use, on these substances should be evaluated and further studies may be called for if the available information is not considered to be adequate to establish acceptability. A reasonable period of time, say five years, for the completion of further tests should be allowed. The evidence on the biological properties of new ingredients proposed for use in cosmetics should be evaluated and inclusion of the substance in appropriate lists should be decided accordingly. *The evaluation of the toxic and carcinogenic hazards of food additives is considered in the 2rid and 5th Reports of the Joint FAO/WHO Committee on Food Additives (1958 and 1961). **Second Edn. 1959 (F. Steiner Verlag, Wiesbaden).