SCCS consults on six hair care ingredients

02-Jan-2013 - Last updated on 02-Jan-2013 at 11:47 GMT

The Scientific Committee for Consumer Safety has opened opinions on dichloromethane, 1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene; 5-amino-6-chloro-o-cresol; 2,2' methylenebis-4-aminophenol HCl, 4-amino, and Basic Brown 16 to the public for comments.

The opinions approved at the Committee's most recent plenary meeting, are now available for applicants, national authorities and other interested parties to submit comment on until February the 1st 2013 with a view of the SCCS publishing the adopted opinion at its next meeting.

Up for discussion

The first of six ingredients up for discussion, dichloromethane acts as a solvent for active ingredients and as a propellant in hair spray formulations.

It has been restricted since 1976 to a concentration of up to 35 per cent, not exceeding that limit when mixed with 1,1,1-trichloroethane.

However, the SCCS is saying that this limit is no longer relevant as the latter is covered by Regulation 1005/2009 (EC) on ozone depleting substances.

The second ingredient, 1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene was adopted in 2006 to which the Committee has also ruled that the current information submitted is inadequate in assessing the safety of the substance.

Before any further consideration is made, it is calling for more tests on the potential to induce gene mutation as it says that the hair dye, "like many other hair dyes, is a skin sensitiser."

On 5-amino-6-chloro-o-cresol, the SCCS has expressed that due to "its' use of up to a final on-head concentration of 2.0 per cent under oxidative and nonoxidative conditions poses a risk to the health of the consumer."

Whilst on 2,2'-methylenebis-4-aminophenol HCl, the SCCS has suggested that the current concentration be reduced to 1 per cent on-head in both oxidative and non-oxidative hair dye formulations and a mammalian and a cell gene mutation test in vitro be provided.

With 4-Amino-2-nitrodiphenylamine-2,-carboxylic Acid, the Committee found the substance used as a direct dye in formulations or as an ingredient in oxidative dying products, as having some aspects relating to genotoxicity potential needing clarification.

Whilst also finally expressing that Basic Brown 16 as having some aspects relating to genotoxicity that requires clarification.

For full details on the opinions of the above ingredients, click here.