L’Oréal goes one step further in safety assessments by monitoring the potential adverse effects that may arise once the product is on the market. The Group carries out this task with its international cosmetovigilance network, which collects, approves and analyses the adverse effects related to the use of a cosmetic product using recognised and rigorous methods. This allows for appropriate corrective measures to be taken where necessary.
The safety cycle is summarised in the following graphic:
In response 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 product quality, at all stages from creation and production to distribution. Nearly all factories are ISO 9001 certified for their production and follow Good Manufacturing Practice 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 location of the laboratory in charge of the project, are subject to the same level of rigorous safety evaluation. The Environmental Safety Department uses a multidisciplinary scientific approach to carry out these evaluations at all stages of a product’s life cycle. In this way, L’Oréal meets the safety requirements of the national regulations in force in all countries in which its products are sold.
A safety assessment is conducted for each product launched on the market
Product safety evaluation entails 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. The results are interpreted by experienced scientists with special training in cosmetic ingredient and product safety.
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 changed by removing and/or replacing certain substances based on new data.
L’Oréal’s added value, in terms of assessing ingredient and finished product safety, 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 invested in science and technology to create new evaluation tools that are used every day by safety assessors.
L’Oréal also works closely with all international stakeholders involved in relevant industries to develop alternative cross-disciplinary solutions in the field of safety assessment.