What is the industry or regulatory standard for grading cosmetic
chemicals, and where might I find this standard? I’d like to see a
chart or list of grades and their definitions.
There are so many terms used, some of which do not seem legitimate –
medical grade, for example.
what are the standards?
where are the standards?
who determines the standards?
what grades are acceptable for use in cosmetics?
Thanks in advance,
nan
kanzz wrote:
> What is the industry or regulatory standard for grading cosmetic
> chemicals, and where might I find this standard? I’d like to see a
> chart or list of grades and their definitions.
> There are so many terms used, some of which do not seem legitimate –
> medical grade, for example.
> what are the standards?
> where are the standards?
> who determines the standards?
> what grades are acceptable for use in cosmetics?
> Thanks in advance,
> nan
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-toc.html
Thanks so much for your post.
I’ve been through most of this info — it is vast — and I still can’t
seem to find a chart or list of grades and their definitions.
Any chance someone could narrow it down for me?
thanks.
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Frank wrote:
> kanzz wrote:
> > What is the industry or regulatory standard for grading cosmetic
> > chemicals, and where might I find this standard? I’d like to see a
> > chart or list of grades and their definitions.
> > There are so many terms used, some of which do not seem legitimate –
> > medical grade, for example.
> > what are the standards?
> > where are the standards?
> > who determines the standards?
> > what grades are acceptable for use in cosmetics?
> > Thanks in advance,
> > nan
> http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-toc.html
kanzz wrote:
> Thanks so much for your post.
> I’ve been through most of this info — it is vast — and I still can’t
> seem to find a chart or list of grades and their definitions.
> Any chance someone could narrow it down for me?
It’s an area I only touch on occassionally. You can see that the FDA
does not really regulate cosmetics but is only concerned about
contamination or product safety. Do not think you will see a list of
approved materials. If you were formulating a cosmetic, it would be a
good idea to ask chemical producer if chemical is suitable to use, i.e.
is not contaminated with something that might be injurious. I do know
of example where industry has refused to sell chemicals for cosmetic
use.
Frank
Is there no industry standard for grading cosmetics and for use of the
terminology?
If I’m looking for an ingredient – let’s say Lactic Acid – it might say
any of the following:
pharmaceutical, medical, professional, cosmetic, high purity, reagent,
technical, etc. (Google "Lactic Acid grade skin") Seems to me most of
this is hype.
So, if I’m formulating for myself and my family and I want to buy the
right ingredients, how do I know which grade to pick? Rely on the
seller? How do sellers know which word to appy to their product?
Believe it or not, I’m pretty sure some suppliers might be
unscrupulous.
I thank you for your time.
nan
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Frank wrote:
> kanzz wrote:
> > Thanks so much for your post.
> > I’ve been through most of this info — it is vast — and I still can’t
> > seem to find a chart or list of grades and their definitions.
> > Any chance someone could narrow it down for me?
> It’s an area I only touch on occassionally. You can see that the FDA
> does not really regulate cosmetics but is only concerned about
> contamination or product safety. Do not think you will see a list of
> approved materials. If you were formulating a cosmetic, it would be a
> good idea to ask chemical producer if chemical is suitable to use, i.e.
> is not contaminated with something that might be injurious. I do know
> of example where industry has refused to sell chemicals for cosmetic
> use.
> Frank
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kanzz wrote:
> Is there no industry standard for grading cosmetics and for use of the
> terminology?
> If I’m looking for an ingredient – let’s say Lactic Acid – it might say
> any of the following:
> pharmaceutical, medical, professional, cosmetic, high purity, reagent,
> technical, etc. (Google "Lactic Acid grade skin") Seems to me most of
> this is hype.
> So, if I’m formulating for myself and my family and I want to buy the
> right ingredients, how do I know which grade to pick? Rely on the
> seller? How do sellers know which word to appy to their product?
> Believe it or not, I’m pretty sure some suppliers might be
> unscrupulous.
In your example, you would not go wrong with grades specified for
medical, pharm. or cosmetic. I’ve had experience with medical and food
contact where regs. are strict. The impurity may be harmless, and only
present in ppb’s but not allowed because it is not listed. Things like
reagent, and pharmaceutical may be the same. Also I would trust US and
EC and probably Japanese sources but shy away from others, although I
have seen cosmetics out of China that were OK.
Frank
Frank writes:
> Also I would trust US and
> EC and probably Japanese sources but shy away from others, although I
> have seen cosmetics out of China that were OK.
The question is not whether something is more or less vaguely
"trustworthy", but whether there are concrete, physical standards for
cosmetic ingredients. The answer to the latter question is apparently, for
the USA, not really.
Exactly… and Thank You.
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Richard J Kinch wrote:
> Frank writes:
> > Also I would trust US and
> > EC and probably Japanese sources but shy away from others, although I
> > have seen cosmetics out of China that were OK.
> The question is not whether something is more or less vaguely
> "trustworthy", but whether there are concrete, physical standards for
> cosmetic ingredients. The answer to the latter question is apparently, for
> the USA, not really.
kanzz wrote:
> What is the industry or regulatory standard for grading cosmetic
> chemicals, and where might I find this standard? I’d like to see a
> chart or list of grades and their definitions.
> There are so many terms used, some of which do not seem legitimate –
> medical grade, for example.
> what are the standards?
> where are the standards?
> who determines the standards?
> what grades are acceptable for use in cosmetics?
The FDA doesn’t have a list of "approved materials" for a number of
reasons. First, they don’t know that the material’s inconsistancy is
not going to be harmful – and no product, NO PRODUCT is not made
without some inconsistancy. Secondly, (although this is sort of a
sub-arguement of the previous arguement), the final end product may be
made throught a new method (new catalyst, new starting materials,…)
so that the contaminants are different even though the desired end
product is the same. By just pre-approving the final product, these
differences would not be avoided. Thirdly, you have know idea what/how
the product is being handled after it is manufactured. For example,
taking sterile water and pumping it through a non-sterile system.
The best way to handle all these issues is for the FDA to approve the
final product, not the components of the products.
When I explain it this way, most people agree with the logic, but
there are exceptions. I’ve tried unsuccessfully for years to convince
some coworkers that the FDA doesn’t have a list of approved medical
device materials. They keep thinking that if they just look long
enough on the internet, they will find that list. Most surprisingly,
they are senior (in age) engineers. I say "most surprisingly" as I
tend to think of younger people as being the ones who expect to find
everything on the internet.
John
Aspen Research, – http://www.aspenresearch.com
"Turning Questions into Answers"
Opinions expressed herein are my own and may not represent those of my
employer.