Safety and application of colours in personal care
Let’s be real. There’s no category as diverse as personal care. Right from handwash to soaps, and lipsticks to shampoos, personal care is an unmistakeable part of every one’s life. On an average, an adult uses approximately 9 personal care products – every day1.
Yes. It might not seem like a lot, but the quality and amount of dyes and pigments involved in each of these products can end up having a significant impact on the appearance and health of the consumer.
However, in the ever-expanding cabinets of products, how can one make a sensible choice to ensure the safety of these products?
FDA to the Rescue
FDA: the authority responsible for protecting the public health by ensures the safety, efficacy, and security of products by putting them through stringent tests and setting up regulations for safety protocols.
For example, when it comes to additives, US FDA has outlined certain categories depending upon their use and application.
- External D&C: Approved for skin application
- D&C: Colour additive for drugs and cosmetics
- FD&C: Foods, drugs, and cosmetics
The guardrails:
FDA outlines a few requisites that every manufacturer who uses pigments or additives in the products to adhere by.
For example, Law [US FD&C Act, Sec. 721; 21 U.S.C. 379e; 21 CFR Parts 70 and 80]
1. Approval: Used colour additives must be approved by FDA of the corresponding country.
2. Certification: In addition to approval e.g., colour additives must be batch certified (in case of cosmetic products or other US FDA regulated products)
3. Identity and specifications: Colour additives must meet identity and specifications requirement stated by FDA of corresponding country. For e.g. for FDA the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the relevant authority in the Unites States.
4. Use and Restrictions: Colour additives must be used only for the intended purposes and adhere by the regulation of the category.
For more than 30 years now, Neelikon is synonymous with trust and dependability in the market. The certified and diverse range of range of US FDA approved high-quality dyes, pigments, lakes, and colour additives spans across applications like food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, cosmetics, and so on.
Truly, today Neelikon enjoys the many shades of trust that is has painted with its clients and counterparts not just in India, but across the borders!
Ref 1: https://www.consumernotice.org/products/personal-care/
