List of Prohibited or Restricted Cosmetic Chemicals in Australia
The ACCC is responsible for enforcing the mandatory information standard for ingredient labelling for cosmetics and toiletries. The mandatory information standard requires that a full list of ingredients must be labelled on the product or container or available at point of sale. It also prescribes the order in which ingredients must be listed.
The actual ingredients/contents of cosmetics are regulated by the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS). Some cosmetics with therapeutic effects are administered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
This is an excerpt taken from the current NICNAS Cosmetic Guidelines 2007
List of Prohibited or Restricted Cosmetic Chemicals in Australia
The following chemicals must not be used in cosmetics or must only be used in the limited way specified. The list below is currently being updated and is not exhaustive.
Chemical Name - Prohibition or Restriction
- Phenylenediamines - Prohibited in preparation for skin colouration (eg tattoos)
- Diethylphthalate - Restriction: in sunscreens except at 0.5% or less
- Dimethylphthalate - Restriction: in sunscreens except at 0.5% or less
- Coal tar - Prohibition
It is proposed that each of the prohibitions or restrictions will be included as an annotation on the Australian Inventory of Chemical Substances (AICS) or through other relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation. As AICS is being regularly updated, it is possible that new prohibitions or restrictions will be added and that the list above will not always be complete. It is recommended that all importers and manufacturers of cosmetics check AICS to ensure they have a complete list of prohibitions or restrictions.
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