REVIEW ON SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF A COSMETIC PRODUCT

Cosmetics can be defined as, “substances which are intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body’s structure or functions” according to USFDA. This review encompasses a brief description of the process of safety assessment of a cosmetic product. There is no significant systemic absorption of cosmetics by penetration through skin, but some products are intended to apply on the mucous membranes or skin surrounding the mucous membranes which may result in significant systemic absorption on continuous use. Serious health hazards have not been observed mostly, but in some cases, lead to severe reactions like, allergy, irritation, comedogenicity, genotoxicity, photosensitivity etc. At the same time, long terms effects of usage of cosmetics are still unknown as the products are used repeatedly over a long period of time. Hence, safety evaluation of a cosmetic product is the most prominent step before release of the product into the market. There are no specific safety regulations for cosmetics, but the safety of the product is the responsibility of the manufacturer. The article explains about different organizations that are responsible for the safety of the cosmetic products before they are released into the market in different countries and also about the Product Information File (PIF). The safety of a cosmetic product both at industrial level and finished product level are explained. The different tests deployed for the safety assessment of a cosmetic product are also explained.