Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 governs the release of cosmetic products on the European market. It restricts the use of substances that may cause allergic reactions in a significant number of consumers. There are currently 26 potential allergens listed in Annex III of the Cosmetics Regulation that must be listed on the product label in the list of ingredients and comply with limits set according to the end-use of the product. Industry is moving towards extending this list to 57 fragrance substances. Accurate determination of the levels of these allergens in cosmetics is essential to allow suitable labelling for consumers, however, this testing is highly challenging for these complex sample types.

In this white paper, Intertek’s experts describe the regulatory background and the need for cosmetics allergens screening and testing. They also describe a superior method (developed in the Intertek laboratories) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) to identify and quantify the volatile compounds which are suspected to be allergens in fragrances and raw materials used in cosmetic products.

Using an approach called Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM), Intertek’s method is optimized for the determination of 57 allergen substances present in cosmetic samples. It is efficient to run and avoids the risk of false positives that might occur when the presence of other substances in the samples gives rise to “matrix effects” during testing.

Download our White Paper to learn more now