Cosmetics / products for personal care - information to manufacturers and suppliers

The main responsibility for the Swedish Poisons Information Centre is to give advice to the general public, physicians and other health care personnel in cases of acute poisonings.
Poisoning incidents with cosmetics/products for personal care represent just above 4% of the inquiries to the Poisons Centre (about 3 200 in 2011).

To be able to provide adequate advice in every incident of poisoning, the Poisons Centre needs information about the composition of cosmetics/products for personal care.

According to the new cosmetic regulation, (EC) 1223/2009, all cosmetics have to be notified to the EU-commission’s central database, CPNP (Cosmetic Products Notification Portal, not later than 11 July 2013. The EU-commission makes the notified information available to Poisons Centres. Until 11 July 2013 the companies have the possibility to choose to either notify in accordance to the “old directive”, which in Sweden means that all cosmetic products should be notified directly to the Swedish Poisons Information Centre, or to notify their cosmetic products to CPNP. Cosmetic products notified to CPNP before 11 July 2013 do not have to be notified directly to the Swedish Poisons Information Centre at all. Companies which choose to notify cosmetic product directly to the Swedish Poisons Information Centre will also have to notify their products to CPNP, not later than 13 July, if the products are still placed on the market.
Information on how to notify cosmetic products to CPNP can be found in CPNP User Manual:

CPNP User Manual

The product information is kept strictly confidential according to the Swedish secrecy law, 2009:400, 25 kap 9§, and is only used for evaluation of acute toxicity. In the information service the product composition is never revealed except to physicians if it is of medical importance.

Information the Poisons Centre needs

Information is needed about the composition of cosmetics/products for personal care according to the guidelines and frame formulations jointly prepared by the EU-commission, European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT), competent authorities and trade organisations (mainly the European Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association, COLIPA). The ‘Frame formulations’ can be found as Annex II and ‘Rules on specific ingredients of concern and/or the pH value’ as Annex I in the CPNP User Manual (link above).

Please make sure that the product and trade name in the product information is exactly the same as on the package. This is very important since it is the product and trade name that is stated when calling the Poisons Centre in case of poisoning incidents.

How to send the product information

Until 13 July 2013 the companies can choose to notify their products directly to the Swedish Poisons Information Centre. If so, there is a link on the right to “Product forms” where you will find three categories of cosmetic forms* according to the above mentioned ‘Frame formulations’. You can also see a link to instructions on how to send product information electronically.
The Poisons Centre prefers to get the information electronically.

*Cosmetic form 1: For products that comply with a frame formulation and additional information is not required.
Cosmetic form 2: For products that comply with a frame formulation but additional information is required, according to ‘Rules on specific ingredients of concern and/or the pH value’ (Annex I, CPNP User Manual).
Cosmetic form 3: For products that do not comply with a frame formulation. In that case formulation details, both qualitative and quantitative, need to be declared individually.

Addresses where to send the product information:
giftinformation@gic.se
or
Giftinformationscentralen
Swedish Poisons Information Centre
S-171 76 Stockholm
SWEDEN

Updating the product information

If the product composition is changed so the product does not fit into the indicated frame formulation, or if the product or trade name is changed, a new notification has to be done.

Questions can be addressed to:
Karin Feychting
Phone: +46 8 610 05 86
E-mail: karin.feychting@gic.se