Press Release: Commission to extend hair dye assessment in view of new data on sensitisation

The Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) draws the Commission's attention, in a memorandum published on 29 March 2007, to the fact that many of the hair dye substances currently used in hair dye products have the potential to cause skin sensitisation. A person sensitised to a hair dye substance may eventually develop skin allergy to this substance. In order to fully assess the safety implications of the memorandum findings for consumers, the inherent sensitising properties of these substances and the real life exposure of consumers (frequency of use, amounts used, proportion of the population potentially affected, types and severity of effects, etc) must be considered. Today, there is little systematic data on the occurrence of allergies among hair dye users. However, given the large increase in the use of hair dye products over the last ten years, the report warns of a potential problem for the health of consumers. The Commission is aware of the problem and in 2003 agreed with Member States and stakeholders on a strategy striving for a positive list of hair dyes substances to be allowed for use in the EU. In this context the categorisation of these substances according to their sensitising properties by the SCCP provides valuable input to this exercise. Based on the memorandum, the Commission services will now extend their assessment in order to minimise possible risks of allergic reactions caused by hair dyes.

European Commission: DG Communication: MEMO/07/123 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/123&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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