MWSCC Reveals the Faces of Cosmetic Science

By: Katie Anderson (Schaefer), Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine

Posted: November 10, 2011

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Regulation of sun care was then the topic at hand with a presentation by Farah Ahmed, vice president and associate general counsel of the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC). Ahmed started with a brief history of sunscreen rule-making in the United States, which all led up to the recent Final Rule on Labeling and Effectiveness Testing, which was issued in June 2011 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The big news, according to Ahmed, is that the FDA now recognizes the skin cancer prevention and anti-aging benefits that sunscreens can provide to the consumer. She explained some of the main points of the final rule, noting that it describes allowed claims, testing procedures to support those claims and non-permitted claims that would mark a product misbranded.

She added that while the 2007 proposed rule allowed for labeling reductions for smaller packaging, the 2011 Final Rule did not. The rule, according to Ahmed, must be implemented by June 18, 2012 for products labeled on or after that date and June 17, 2013, for companies with revenue less than US $25,000 per year. She emphasized that non-complying products introduced before June 18, 2012, do not have to be pulled from the market, but rather can use the 1999 or 2007 rules until June 17, 2013. Ahmed provided an overview of new testing requirements with the rule, including an application of 2 mg/cm², the P2 reference formula and water-resistance claims, among others. She clarified the requirements for broad spectrum labeling and testing, which includes an SPF ≥15, a critical wavelength ≥ 370 nm and no in vivo UVA testing. Ahmed further detailed the new sunscreen package, which can include SPF value and broad spectrum claims but not a star ranking. In addition, it must include sunscreen uses and directions for all sunscreens and a warning for sunscreens less than SPF 15 or not labeled as broad spectrum. Ahmed gave a few examples of sunscreen products labeled according to the new rule, and then showed those product labeled according to the PCPC’s recommended changes. These changes saved a considerable amount of critical product space.

Ahmed expressed the PCPC’s concerns over implementation, noting that the rule’s required date may limit the sunscreen products available for summer 2012. In addition, the PCPC found that one year of compliance time was not sufficient for manufacturers. Ahmed briefly discussed the ANPR: Dosage Forms, noting that the PCPC requested a time extension in addition to supporting the spray and powder forms. She also briefly tacked the Proposed Rule: SPF 50+, adding that it is a divided issue in the PCPC.

The final speaker of the day was Perry Romanowski, who addressed the research aspect of cosmetic chemistry. In order to inspire attendees to successfully use the Internet for research, Romanowski provided a number of sources that he has found helpful in his work. Romanowski provided helpful reference websites, starting with a number of sites for raw material data, including the Cosmetics & Toiletries Bench Reference, Innovadex, SpecialChem4Cosmetics’ INCI Directory, the GCI Directory and the PCPC Buyers’ Guide. He also gave websites for training and education, including: theComplete Cosmetic Chemist, the Society of Cosmetic Scientists’ Diploma in Cosmetic Science, the Institute for Personal Care Science, SpecialChem4Cosmetics’ e-training and the Center for Professional Development. Romanowski then moved on to regulatory websites, which included: the FDA’s Cosmetic Info, the European Commission, Health Canada, Japan’s Ministry of Health, IFRA and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board. He added that basic research can be done on sites such as the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, PubMed, various patent sources and online product retailers such as www.drugstore.com.

To stay on top of news, Romanowski recommended the websites of industry magazines, consumer magazine websites and feeds from science publications, noting the benefits of RSS feeds. He provided helpful tips to conduct research in a search engine, providing all the various benefits of Google. Romanowski discussed the importance of following industry blogs, innovation blogs and science blogs, as he provided a few examples such as the Chemists Corner and The Beauty Brains. He emphasized the benefit of social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter as well as supported the market knowledge obtainable through online forums. Romanowski discussed Innocentive and Elance as two websites for outsourcing experts. He then explained how the consumer can use the Internet to create new formulas, duplicate competitive products and find new product ideas. Romanowski provided some tips to maintain productivity while researching on the Internet, including: avoiding distractions, limiting time and turning off e-mail alerts, among others.