Danish Retail Group Blacklists Cosmetics With PFAS; Australian Animal-Testing Ban; More Cosmetics News

The leading consumer goods retailer in Denmark, Coop Danmark A/S, announced March 9 that it will no longer be purchasing cosmetic products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including from international brands, due to concerns about cancer, endocrine disruption and other health risks linked to the ingredient group. (Also see "Personal-Care Ingredient News In Brief: UC Berkeley Study Makes Waves; PFAS In Cosmetics; More" - HBW Insight, 11 December, 2018.) “We have a great focus on protecting our customers from exposure to chemical substances that can contribute to a harmful cocktail effect. By taking the lead, we hope that the entire international beauty industry can be encouraged to find better alternatives,” says Coop Quality Manager Malene Teller Blume. The decision, effective immediately, means that PFAS-containing cosmetics will vanish by mid-September from coop.dk and Coop retail chains – including Kvickly, SuperBrugsen, Dagli’Brugsen and subsidiaries fakta A/S and Irma A/S – which in sum account for 1,050 stores across Denmark and DKK 50bn in annual turnover, according to the release.

European consumer-advocacy group BEUC is convinced that changes are needed to the Cosmetics Regulation in order for endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC)...