Industry News

Safety Of Cosmetic Packaging Materials

Author : Maggie Liang

Update time : 2022-05-07 15:40:09

So-called " the plumbum can't be abandoned", cosmetics are an essential part of everyday life for women who are gifted with beauty. I believe that many people have had the following state of mind: looking at the dazzling and beautiful displays on the counters of various brands, such as powder boxes, lipsticks, and moisturizers, they just feel dizzying, and wish they could put everything in their sight in their shopping bag, and then wiped it on their body one by one. They wish their skin became whiter overnight, their acne disappeared, and their wrinkles faded. All in all, they became more beautiful day by day.

However, with the increase of branded products on the market, many negative news about cosmetic tubes also came to the fore. In 2006, it was revealed that many products of SK-II contained banned substances such as chromium and neodymium; in 2007, the lead-containing lipstick operation was even more It involves more than 60% of cosmetic brands in the US market. This kind of news makes customers pay more attention to the safety of cosmetics, so many customers now check the cosmetic formula table to confirm whether they contain harmful substances when purchasing. But do you know that harmful substances are not only derived from the formulation of cosmetics, but also an unqualified packaging material will cause irreversible damage to the safety of cosmetics. I have seen various cases of food packaging damage to food safety before, and I deeply feel that packaging materials have a huge impact on food safety. The various cosmetic packaging materials I have come into contact with make me realize the necessity of packaging in cosmetics - it not only attracts customers to pay for it, but also blocks the cosmetics from the outside world, which acts as antiseptic, anti-oxidation, and restrained odor. Loose and other functions. With the deepening of understanding, a small question arises in my mind: Is there a corresponding regulatory standard to supervise the safety of cosmetic packaging materials, which is also in direct contact with the packaging of the product? As with various regulatory standards for food contact packaging materials. With this question in mind, I consulted some materials a little, and gained some small views to share with you. Let’s start with the current domestic routine testing methods. Taking into account the barrier effect, most of the detection methods currently used in China are based on visual and physical properties. For example: inspection of printing quality (including abrasion resistance, adhesion fastness, color difference...); barrier properties of packaging materials (whether it can prevent the loss of gas or liquid); sealing; impact resistance, etc. The above inspection is only for the physical properties of the packaging material itself, and cannot completely ensure the safety after contact with the contents, such as the compatibility between the two and the solvent residue of the packaging material. However, there is no clear domestic standard to standardize the safety standards of cosmetic packaging materials, let alone the specific standards for the substances contained in cosmetic packaging materials, but it is only mentioned in the "Cosmetic Hygiene Standards": "The direct contact of cosmetics Container materials must be non-toxic, and must not contain or release toxic substances that may cause damage to users." Not only in China, but also in the US FDA and EU directives, there are few handling standards and inspection standards for cosmetic packaging materials. It is the standard of food packaging, and now the inspection of cosmetic packaging materials mostly relies on the internal supervision of enterprises, and the testing methods and standards are naturally different.

Why does the safety of cosmetic packaging materials have such a huge impact on the safety of cosmetics? Because once the packaging material itself contains excessive toxic and harmful substances, it may be gradually released into the cosmetics that are in direct contact with it, which will change the quality of the cosmetics in an unfavorable direction, thereby causing great damage to the human body. This damage is similar to the effect of food on the human body - both are absorbed by the body, resulting in serious results. Therefore, the opening of the detection of harmful substances in cosmetic packaging materials will be inevitable, and in the study of the removal of substances in packaging, the national standards related to food packaging materials are a good study. So where do the toxic and harmful substances that affect the safety of cosmetics come from?
1. Additives in the package. Nowadays, the most widely used and repeated one is plastic. Compared with other ceramics, glass and other materials, its advantages are unquestionable - light weight, high strength, good tolerance, and low cost. However, its shortcomings cannot be ignored - various functional additives and its own degradation. There are many types of additives, the common ones are 1. Fillers (to change the hardness, wear resistance and standard stability of plastics, commonly used gypsum, metal powder, paper wood, etc.)
2. Plasticizers (to enhance the softness, elasticity and fluidity of plastics, commonly used phthalic acid, epoxy compounds, etc.)
3. Stabilizers (to prevent aging and degradation, commonly used aromatic amines, etc.)
4. Colorants Many of them are toxic and harmful substances, such as phthalic acid and amine compounds. These additives, together with the degraded monomers of the plastic itself, will move into the cosmetics after being in contact with the cosmetics, thereby burying risks to human health.

In the regulations related to food packaging, "Hygienic Standards for the Use of Additives for Food Containers and Packaging Materials" (ie GB9685-2008), 959 additives that are allowed to be used are listed and their application amounts, large residues and specific removals are listed. Quantity made clear rules. If we can refer to similar standards and establish a limited list of substances used in cosmetic packaging materials, we can greatly reduce the chemical pollution of cosmetics from the source, and reduce the damage to human health to a greater extent.
5. It is the content of heavy metals in the packaging. When the human body ingests too much heavy metal elements, it will cause great damage to health. For example, excessive lead will disturb the composition of heme and affect the mental opening and reproductive system; long-term exposure to excessive chrome on the skin is likely to cause contact dermatitis and eczema; mercury will affect the central nervous system and so on. In my country's current food packaging material standards, GB19778-2005 restricts the leaching amounts of lead, cadmium, arsenic and antimony in food glass (for example, for containers less than 600 mL, the leaching amounts of lead, cadmium, arsenic and antimony are 1.5 mg/L, 0.5mg/L, 0.2mg/L, 1.2mg/L), while GB12651-2003 restricts the dissolution of lead and cadmium in ceramics (the dissolution of lead and cadmium in common cups is 0.5mg/L, respectively). L, 0.25mg/L).

However, in addition to ceramics and glass products, cosmetic tubes often contain certain heavy metals in metal packaging, coatings and even paper products - such as tinplate cans, paper added with coatings or adhesives, etc. If the packaging material comes into contact with cosmetics, especially weakly acidic products, it will gradually enter the cosmetics and then be absorbed by the skin; more than that, when the packaging is discarded, the heavy metals contained in it will gradually enter the soil or water. Inflicts devastating damage to our environment. If the standard for the content of heavy metals in cosmetic packaging materials can be established, it will be a great advance for the safety of cosmetics, and it will also make a contribution to our society and our environment.

Therefore, the study and testing of the potential risks of chemical substances contained in cosmetic packaging materials can not only increase the corresponding knowledge storage for the inspection system of cosmetic quality, but also add a powerful force to the protection of people's health, safety and the environ

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