International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR) 12th Annual Meeting Held in Tokyo, Japan from July 10-12, 2018

The International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR) held its 12th annual meeting (ICCR-12) from July 10-12, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. The ICCR is a voluntary international group of cosmetics regulatory authorities from Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Japan, and the United States. 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. In 2018, representatives from Colombia^{Footnote *}, Israel, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand participated in the meeting as observers.

As part of this meeting, the regulators entered into a dialogue with cosmetics industry trade associations from each jurisdiction on July 11, 2018.

The Councilor for Pharmaceuticals of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare – MHLW, Japan – Mr. Kazuhiko Mori, welcomed the group and made opening remarks.

The President of the Japan Cosmetic Industry Association – JCIA – Mr. Kazutoshi Kobayashi, made an opening statement on behalf of Japanese industry.

The following Joint Working Group topics were discussed at the meeting:

• Integrated Strategies for Safety Assessments of Cosmetic Ingredients
• Analytical Test Methods
• Cosmetic Product Preservation
• Allergens
• Communications
• Microbiome

Industry provided an update on “e-Commerce”.

An open stakeholder session was held on July 11. Representatives from Humane Society International and Cruelty Free Beauty - Japanese Coalition to End Animal Testing for Cosmetics made presentations regarding animal testing. ICCR recognizes the importance of alternatives to animal testing and continues to work on this topic, notably through some of its joint working groups.

The following are the outcomes of the meeting:

1. Integrated Strategies for Safety Assessments of Cosmetic Ingredients
   • ICCR SC accepted the “Integrated Strategies for Safety Assessments of Cosmetic Ingredients – Part II” report and will post to the website.
   • ICCR SC agreed that the current Joint Working Group will continue to work on case studies as Part III of this activity.
2. Analytical Test Methods
   • ICCR SC accepted the “Review of International Standards on Analytical Methods defined by ISO” report and will post to the website.
   • ICCR SC agreed to reopen the Joint Working Group on International Standards to update the table of relevant ISO standards.
3. Cosmetic Product Preservation
   • ICCR SC agreed that the current Joint Working Group will continue to work on a white paper.
4. Allergens
   • ICCR SC agreed that the current Joint Working Group will continue to work on a report.
5. Communications
   • ICCR SC agreed to create a new Joint Working Group on Communications on topics related to cosmetics.
6. Microbiome
   • ICCR SC agreed to create a new Joint Working Group on the Microbiome as it relates to cosmetics.

The next ICCR meeting will be held in Canada in 2019.