American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) Chief Information Analyst Merle Zimmermann, Ph.D., attended the 158th Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel Meeting for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety held virtually from Washington, D.C., September 13-14. The meeting included discussions of CIR safety reports being developed on five herbal cosmetic ingredients, with assessments regarding Rosa damascena, Equisetum arvense, sugarcane, barley, and tea tree discussed. Safety of red algae and yeast-derived ingredients were also reviewed, as well as nearly twenty other, non-herbal cosmetic ingredient groups.
Final safety reports for tea tree ingredients considered noted them safe with qualifications, and 16 of 60 red algae ingredients were also recorded as “safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in the safety assessment.” 44 remaining algae ingredients were noted to have insufficient data for a safety determination in the final report regarding this class of ingredient.
Tentative assessments for Equisetum arvense and sugarcane ingredients were noted to be “safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in the safety assessment,” and the tentative assessment for ten Rosa damascena ingredients noted they were safe with qualifications.
For the tentative safety report on barley ingredients, 4 were noted as “safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in the safety assessment,” and the remaining 12 barley ingredients in the report had insufficient data for assessment. For these barley ingredients with insufficient data, dermal toxicity information and evidence of safe use as food for barley extracts and ingredients derived from flower, leaf, stem, and root are requested from companies who may wish to share these with the panel.
Insufficient data announcements were also presented for 8 of the yeast ingredients, with additional information on the strains in use requested by the expert panel to better understand what manufacturing, composition, etc. information is needed to determine safety.
For the ingredients with insufficient data, additional information is welcomed by the panel. Companies who wish to share data with the panel are asked to do so as soon as possible for it to be available for consideration prior to the upcoming December 6-7 2021 and March 7-8, 2022 meetings, with 60 days from their posting allowed for as a minimum to be included in the discussion.
The panel identified Japanese Pepper, Zanthoxylum Piperitum, in the final 2022 priorities. Safety information for this ingredient is also requested from companies who wish to share it.
Safety information for the other ingredients under consideration is available at the CIR website.
AHPA staff will continue to be involved as herbal ingredients are evaluated for safe use in the marketplace.
"Safe use of these herbal ingredients by the personal care products industry is assisted by the toxicological reviews provided by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review process," Dr. Zimmermann noted. “CIR’s enthusiastic engagement in bridging the needs of government, industry, and the consumer in supporting a lively market with novel formulations for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance is an essential part of the vibrant marketplace we see in the United States.”
CIR was established in 1976 by the industry trade association (then the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association, now the Personal Care Products Council), with the support of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Federation of America. Although funded by the Council, CIR and the review process are independent from the Council and the cosmetics industry.
The purpose of the Cosmetic Ingredient Review is to determine those cosmetic ingredients for which there is a reasonable certainty in the judgment of competent scientists that the ingredient is safe under its conditions of use. The meetings include renowned academicians, industry leaders, and government officials from across the US who regularly gather to report on the safety of cosmetics ingredients.