UK Seeks Data, Reports on Testing the Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetics

The UK Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is calling for data and scientific information from any interested party, e.g., academia, cosmetic manufacturers, raw material suppliers, consumer associations, etc., that is relevant to the safety assessment of nanomaterials in cosmetics. The following nanomaterials (or surface functionalized variants, alloys or other related variants) are of particular interest:

• Platinum (nano)
• Copper (nano)
• Silver (nano), colloidal silver (nano)
• Gold (nano), colloidal gold (nano), gold thioethylamino hyaluronic acid (nano)
• Silica (nano), hydrated silica (nano), silica silylate (nano), silica dimethyl silylate (nano)
• Lithium magnesium sodium silicate (nano)
• Hydroxyapatite (nano)

Deadlines for submission are as follows:

• Silica (nano), hydrated silica (nano), silica silylate (nano), silica dimethyl silylate (nano): June 27, 2025
• All other substances: Dec. 22, 2023

See related: 11 Changes to SCCS Guide for Cosmetic Safety Testing - Plus a Note on 'Nano'

Content Submitted in Full

Per the OPSS, any scientific data submitted must include all relevant elements as prescribed in the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety Guidance on the Safety Assessment of Nanomaterials in Cosmetics. The office notes this is particularly important for the pivotal studies, those which support the critical No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) and point of departure and the dermal absorption value.

Default Body Weight 70 kg

The OPSS adds that the Scientific Advisory Group on Chemical Safety (SAG-CS) will use 70 kg as the default body weight assumption for adults in new safety assessments, which aligns with other UK groups such as the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. This group carries out chemical risk assessments across a range of sectors and has agreed upon this default adult body weight as representative for the UK adult population.

Regulatory Context

As background, Article 16 of the UK Cosmetics Regulation requires cosmetic products containing nanomaterials to be notified to the Secretary of State at least six months prior to being placed on the market. These notifications may be completed via the Submit Cosmetic Product Notification (SCPN) portal. In the case of nanomaterials not listed in Annex IV, V and VI, notifications must include additional data on the safety of the nanomaterial for use in cosmetic products, as detailed in Article 16.