The European Commission announces the public consultation on Methylisothiazolinone (MI) in rinse-off cosmetic products, proposing a restriction on its use, as well as a ban when it comes to leave on hair products.

The consultation calls upon any interested parties to take part before the deadline on 1st July 2016.

MI is currently authorised as a preservative in cosmetic products through Annex V of the Regulation at a maximum concentrate of 0.01% (100ppm). According to an SCCS opinion from December 2015, for rinse-off cosmetic products a concentration of 0.0015% (15ppm) is considered safe for the consumer.

The recently announced public consultation puts forward the following proposed modifications to Annex V of the Cosmetic Regulation 1223/2009:

• Restricting the use of MI to 15ppm in rinse-off products, with the obligation of a “Contains Methylisothiazolinone” labelling.
• The use of MI as a preservative in leave-on hair products is banned.

The European Commission requests the information/comments in relation to the economic impact refer to:

• the feasibility of the proposed changes;
• competitiveness, markets and trade;
• direct and indirect costs imposed on business, including SMEs;
• innovation and research;
• specific regions, sectors or workers;
• non-EU countries and international relations;
• the macroeconomic environment.

The consultation documents are available on the Commissions website.