The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has released an international standard that will assist the cosmetic industry in indentifying those products that have a low potential for contamination, ISO 29621:2010, Cosmetics–Microbiology–Guidelines for the risk assessment and identification of microbiologically low-risk products.
A number of product characteristics must be evaluated when performing a microbial risk assessment, such as product composition, production conditions, packaging and a combination of these factors. Cosmetics rated as low-risk products will not need to undergo further microbiological testing. Further, according to the organization, this standard will aid manufacturers and regulatory agencies when standard microbiological tests are not necessary.
ISO 29621 is one of a series of standards being developed by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 217, Cosmetics, for the detection and identification of microorganisms in cosmetic products. The standard can be used by both public and private laboratories working to ensure the creation of safe cosmetic products for consumers.
The organization notes that the quality of finished goods is controlled by applying cosmetic good manufacturing practices (GMPs) (see ISO 22716) during the manufacturing process, using preservatives, and conducting control tests using appropriate methods.
