We set strict requirements for make-up
Many young people and adults use make-up on a daily basis, and some feel that they cannot do without it. Make-up carrying our labels must live up to our general requirement not to contain substances with a particular risk of causing skin allergies. However, as make-up is also contaminated with metals, special requirements apply to make-up products.
Does it sound complicated that you have to decide whether the make-up you use implies a risk of allergies? If you choose make-up with Asthma-Allergy Denmark's allergy labelling, we have done the work for you.
Make-up may contain several allergens, for example perfumes, preservatives such as formaldehyde and the metals nickel, cobalt and chromium. More and more Danes suffer from skin allergies to perfumes and preservatives, and people with nickel allergies may also experience discomfort with make-up. Make-up carrying our allergy label makes it easier for you to find products no matter whether you suffer from skin allergies or want to reduce the risk of developing allergies.
The longer you are in contact with the allergens, the greater the risk of getting a skin allergy. Often you will wear make-up for a long time every day. Also, many use the same products in the same area of the body, day after day. As make-up is thus a product category where you risk being in contact with allergens for longer periods, it may be a good idea to choose products with Asthma-Allergy Denmark's Blue Label or the label of Asthma-Allergy Nordic. Find make-up with our allergy label in our database, Kemilex, here.
Make-up with Asthma-Allergy Denmark's allergy label
The metals nickel, cobalt and chromium are present as natural contaminants in many of the colourants and colour effect substances used in make-up. Precisely because the metals are contaminants, it is not a requirement that they appear in the product declaration. Thus, as a consumer, you cannot actively deselect them when you buy your make-up.
Metals such as cobalt, chromium and nickel are found in the natural colourants that add colour to make-up. In our labelling scheme, we demand that the quantities shall be so low that the vast majority of people with allergies to metals will tolerate the products.
Metals in make-up
Based on scientific studies and our network of leading Danish and international experts in the field, we have set a limit of 1 ppm for the total content of each of the metals.
1 ppm means 1 part per million, i.e., 1:1,000,000 or 1 mg/kg. In other words, only very small amounts of metals may be present in products with Asthma-Allergy Denmark's allergy label. At that level, experts estimate that most allergy sufferers will not experience discomfort when using make-up.
Declaration of colourants in make-up
There is no requirement in the legislation that you list the specific colourants in a product in the declaration. Instead, the manufacturer may write ‘+/-’ or ‘may contain’ followed by all the colourants they use in their entire collection to indicate that they may be present in the product.
Make-up carrying Asthma-Allergy Denmark's allergy labelling shall contain information about the exact colourants that are present in the product. In this way, consumers will know for sure what they are buying and using.