International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR), Tenth Annual Meeting Held in Bethesda, Maryland, United States from July 12-14, 2016

The International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR) held its tenth annual meeting (ICCR-10) from July 12-14, 2016 in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. The ICCR is a voluntary international group of cosmetics regulatory authorities from Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Japan, and the United States. In 2016, representatives from Colombia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Taiwan participated in the meeting as observers. This group of regulatory authorities meets on an annual basis to discuss common issues on cosmetics safety and regulation, and to enter into a constructive dialogue with their relevant cosmetics industry trade associations. As stated in the Terms of Reference, the purpose of this multilateral framework is to maintain the highest level of global consumer protection, while minimizing barriers to international trade.

As part of this meeting, the regulators entered into a dialogue with cosmetics industry trade associations from each region on July 13, 2016. Opening remarks were made by Dr. Linda Katz (Director, Office of Cosmetics and Colors, U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and Ms. Lezlee Westine (President and CEO, Personal Care Products Council).

The following topics were discussed at the meeting:

• Integrated Strategies for Safety Assessments of Cosmetic Ingredients
• International Standards
• Cosmetic Product Preservation
• Microbial Contaminants
• Allergens
• Trace Substances

An industry presentation on “Aggregate Exposure Assessment for Ingredients in Personal Care Products and Cosmetics” was made.

An open stakeholder session was held. A presentation in this session was made by a representative from the Humane Society of the United States regarding animal testing.

The next ICCR meeting will be held in Brazil in 2017.

The following are the outcomes of the meeting:

1. Integrated Strategies for Safety Assessments of Cosmetic Ingredients

• ICCR Steering Committee (SC) accepted the “Integrated Strategies for Safety Assessments of Cosmetic Ingredients” Terms of Reference.

2. International Standards

• ICCR SC accepted the “International Standards in Cosmetics” report and will post to the website.

3. Cosmetic Product Preservation

• The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on preservatives in cosmetics have been translated into the ICCR jurisdictions’ languages and the official European Union languages, and are posted on the website.
• This working group will finalize “The Importance of Preservatives in Cosmetic Products” infographic and continue to work on other communication projects.

4. Microbial Contaminants

• ICCR SC accepted the “Microbiological Limits – International Organization for Standardization (ISO) ISO-17516” report and will post to the website.

5. Allergens

• ICCR SC accepted the white paper “Survey of Approaches Undertaken to Develop Lists of Potential Allergens in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products – Allergens II: Part 1” and will post to the website.
• This working group will continue to work on other allergen projects.

6. Traces

• ICCR SC accepted to post the following reports to the website: “Considerations on Acceptable Trace Level of 1,4-Dioxane in Cosmetic Products” and “Recommendation for Acceptable Trace Mercury Levels in Cosmetic Products.”