The safety cycle is summarised in the following graphic:
The diagram shows the summary of the safety cycle.
- Each ingredient and finished product assessed
- Additional safety studies conducted
- Safety report issued for each product
- Product marketed
- Potential adverse effects compiled by the international cosmeto-vigilance network
In responding to questions that civil society may ask regarding certain substances and their effects on health and the environment, three points summarise L’Oréal’s position:
- vigilance with regard to any relevant new scientific data;
- cooperation with the relevant authorities; and
- precaution leading to the substitution of ingredients in the event of a proven or strongly suspected risk.
The launch of the website “Au coeur de nos produits”(Inside our products) in 2019 is testimony to the Group’s desire for increased transparency on this issue.
Finally, production quality standards govern the quality of products, for all stages from creation and production to distribution. Almost all factories are ISO 9001 certified for their production and follow the Best Manufacturing Practices in accordance with the ISO 22716 standard.
The product safety assessment process
L’Oréal has set up a process to ensure that all products developed by the Group, whatever the geographical location of the laboratory in charge of the project, are subject to the same level of rigorous safety evaluation. The Worldwide Safety Evaluation Department carries out these evaluations, based on a multidisciplinary scientific approach, at all stages of a product’s life cycle. L’Oréal therefore meets the safety requirements of the national regulations in force in all countries in which its products are put on sale.
A safety assessment is conducted for each product launched on the market
Product safety evaluation is based on evaluating each constituent ingredient and the finished product itself. It is carried out on the basis of existing safety data and the latest scientific knowledge, and takes into consideration the conditions of use of the product. If necessary, L’Oréal conducts additional safety studies in qualified laboratories all over the world. Experienced scientists who are specially trained in safety issues with regard to cosmetic ingredients and products interpret the results.
L’Oréal’s Ethical Principles, rooted in both scientific rigour and responsiveness to societal concerns, lead to a pre-emptive approach. This means that formulations are evolved by removing and/or replacing certain substances on the basis of new data.
L’Oréal’s added value, in terms of the safety assessment of ingredients and finished products, lies in its investment for nearly 40 years in the development of predictive methods and tissue engineering, and their international regulatory recognition. For many years, the Group has been investing in science and technology to create new evaluation tools which are used every day by safety assessors.
L’Oréal also works closely with all the international stakeholders involved in relevant industries in order to develop alternative cross-disciplinary solutions in the field of safety assessment.
This longstanding commitment means that since 1989, or14 years before regulations required, the Group no longer carries out animal testing in laboratories for any of its products. Equally, L’Oréal no longer tests its ingredients on animals. L’Oréal no longer tolerates any exceptions to this rule and this applies worldwide. The Group also does not delegate responsibility for doing so to anyone else. Some health authorities may nevertheless decide to carryout animal testing themselves for certain cosmetic products and this is still the case in China. For more than 10 years, L’Oréal has been the company most committed to getting Chinese authorities and scientists to recognise alternative methods and changing cosmetic regulations to achieve the complete and final elimination of animal testing. Progress made in 2014 put an end to testing on animals of some products manufactured in China. Since 2021,non‑functional products imported into China no longer need to be tested on animals if they are accompanied by a safety assessment and a manufacturing best practice certificate issued by their country of origin.
Ultimately, L’Oréal’s products continually evolve as and when technological innovations occur, but with the constant desire to guarantee the highest level of safety for both consumers and professionals.