Global Cosmetic Regulatory Harmonization: Impetus to the Development of Export Markets

122 Pages  ISBN 1872691811      £5.00

Proceedings of an International Cosmetic Industry CongressFlorence, Italy, 1998

A COLIPA - UNIPRO Initiative
&
A Prelude to COSMOPROF

Introduction
Robert Vanhove, Secretary General, COLIPA
The European Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association

The future of global harmonization of cosmetic regulations really started in 1998 in Florence, during a two-day Congress organised by COLIPA (the European Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association) and UNIPRO (COLIPA's Italian partner), with the participation of more than 250 delegates from 35 countries in the world.

The Florence Congress was indeed a breakthrough and demonstrated that not only the European Union, the USA, Russia, Japan and Brazil wanted to come together to improve and harmonize their cosmetic legislation, but that many other countries, from China to Thailand and Estonia, were looking at global regulatory approaches, in order to guarantee safe products everywhere, equal opportunities for trade and fair control of the markets by the authorities.

Together, representatives from regulatory bodies and industry conveyed a powerful message, from a highly efficient industry, taking full responsibility for the safety of its products, ready to collaborate in full transparency, concerned about best informing its customers.

The Congress demonstrated that modern trade requires global regulatory harmonization: it is absurd to be obliged to use different sun filters in neighbouring countries, absurd to suffer unnecessary, often burdensome, constraints according to each administration, absurd to test and retest the same things everywhere in the world.

The participants of the Congress basically adopted the following priciples, (the so-called "Florence principles"), which could serve as guidelines for the future improvement of cosmetic legislation:

1. We should use the same definition of a cosmetic product everywhere, clearly distinct from that of pharmaceuticals
2. We would welcome a uniform regulatory framework, where safety is the direct responsibility of the manufacturer, and where authorities are in charge of in-market control
3. We would like a global distribution of a single type of product formula to be a possibility, with safety and efficiency as the main market access criteria
4. We support the idea of an international product package, which will be more efficient economically, and
5. standardized labelling, providing full transparency of information to the consumer

Indeed, some of these principles have been promoted throughout the world, for several years now, by the CTFA (the American Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association) to whom we pay tribute for their pioneering initiatives.

Today, Colipa is happy to join the CTFA in their efforts and to collaborate with the JCIA and all the other Associations throughout the world. After all, in terms of global harmonization of their cosmetic legislation, the 15 Member States of the European Union - which will soon represent an economic bloic of 25 countries - have already set an inspiring example of understanding and sound collaboration.

Table of Contents

Glossary