In the field of consumer health, the EDQM helps ensure the safety and quality of cosmetics in Europe, acting as the secretariat of the European Committee for Cosmetics and Consumer Health (CD-P-COS). The CD-P-COS was created to address emerging risks to human health arising from the use of cosmetics, and is responsible for developing standards and policies that enhance consumer health protection in this field.

The Committee is composed of representatives of countries, which are parties to the Convention on the elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia. These representatives have the expertise required to take responsibility for the implementation of consumer health protection policies and programmes in their countries. The Committee and its terms of reference have been established by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. As technical secretariat, the EDQM ensures close co-operation with equivalent bodies in other international institutions, in particular with the European Commission (EC).

Activities

Activities on the work programme focus on collaboration between member states and observers from third countries; deliverables include analytical methods and guidance documents.

Surveillance of cosmetics involves the investigation of a wide variety of products and substances. In order to promote technical collaboration in the field of cosmetics market surveillance, the Committee supports a dedicated Network of Official Cosmetics Control Laboratories (OCCLs). This Network encourages member states to co-operate on product quality surveillance activities and strengths market surveillance and the enforcement of European legal framework for cosmetic products. The network is open to OCCLs from non-European observers to the European Pharmacopoeia Commission.

The CD-P-COS holds joint sessions with the OCCL Network with the aim of optimising surveillance and pooling analytical resources and expertise across Europe, from platforms to test for traces of metals to facilities to assess the sun protection factor (SPF) of cosmetic products.