Both Finnish Customs and the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) have expressed interest in Yle News’s findings that some of the skin lightening labels labeled by EU product safety leaders that contain harmful chemicals are widely available in Finland, in shops and also online.
Many ethnic shops in the metropolitan area have shelves with promising products “fairer”, “brighter” or “lighter” skin – but some of these lotions have been warned by EU and Finnish product safety warnings.
This week, All Points North discussed with Denise Wall her research on skin lightening in Finland.
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A study by Yle News found that some stores in Helsinki and neighboring cities have sold a number of skin whitening brands, which have previously been warned by EU and Finnish regulators because certain items were tested and found to contain harmful substances.
The products include brands such as Fair & White, Fair & Lovely and Caro Light creams, which consumers buy to achieve lighter skin.
Skin whitening products represent a thriving subset of the global cosmetics industry. The World Health Organization estimates that it could be worth around โฌ 26 billion by 2024. However, these cosmetics have been controversial in recent years as criticism grows in efforts to achieve Western beauty ideals. .
In some stores, cosmetics are displayed on shelves behind a cash register, so customers have to ask for them. In other stores, they are available on open shelves, where buyers are free to choose what they want.
Some chemicals pose major health risks
Yle News bought four products manufactured by the Fair & White and Fair & Lovely brands, batches of which had previously been notified through the EU’s rapid alert system because they contained varying levels of mercury and thus did not meet European Union requirements under the Cosmetics Regulation (CPR). Therefore, these products are not recommended for use in the EU.
“Mercury is toxic to humans. Mercury is toxic to reproduction and the fetus. It also causes organ damage through prolonged or repeated exposure. Mercury is also deadly when inhaled,” said Terhi Tauriala-Rajala, Tukes, senior official of the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency.
Other EU luminaires in the EU alert system contain hydroquinone, a pigment-reducing chemical that can cause an extreme reaction after prolonged use.
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“Hydroquinone is a skin sensitiser and may cause an allergic skin reaction. According to the CPR, skin whitening cosmetics must not contain substances such as mercury and hydroquinone,” Tukes expert added.
According to Tauriala-Rajala, cosmetics sold in Finland must comply with CPR regulations.
“CPR restricts the use of certain substances in cosmetic products. When skin whitening cosmetics meet CPR requirements, they can be used safely,” he told Yle News by email.
As Tauriala-Rajala stated, many skin whitening products are safe for consumers. However, he added that if products contain chemicals that are on the list of banned substances in cosmetics or ingredients that are not used under the permitted conditions of restricted substances, they are no longer safe for human health.
No national cosmetics database
Yle Uutiset asked Tauriala-Rajala how Finland monitors the market for products that may be harmful to consumers. He stated that Finland does not have a prior authorization system or a national cosmetics register.
“This means that Tukes does not have information on which cosmetic products are offered on the Finnish market or who are the distributors of cosmetic products. It is the responsibility of the importer and distributor of cosmetic products to ensure compliance with legal requirements,” he noted.
However, he said Tukes can monitor the safety of cosmetics sold locally both online and in stores. “Market surveillance is based on notifications made to consumers by consumers or economic operators and on an annual surveillance plan. Tukes also conducts spot checks focusing on the products that pose the greatest risk.”
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Tukes compiles a list of products that have been identified as harmful because they pose chemical or other risks in the online market register (Market Surveillance Register or Marek). In one announcement in 2019, it labeled a product, Caro Light Lightening Beauty Cream, which said the label said it was withdrawn from the market because it contained hydroquinone, a substance it said was banned in cosmetics.
Blind point in the market?
Yle Uutiset asked about the Finnish customs supervising imports from outside the EU on the basis of import data about the possible size of the skin light market in Finland. Customs Product Safety Manager Jonna Neffling said that there is currently no data for evaluation, and he noted that although its units monitor commercial imports, it is not possible to control all shipments to Finland.
“In addition, products can be moved within the European Union from one Member State to another without border controls. However, we did not notice commercial shipments of skin lightening / whitening products in 2019-2020 when we checked the customs clearance,” he explained by email.
Neffling pointed out that current EU regulations require imported cosmetics to be “safe for human health when used under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use”. However, he said that business people – like importers – are responsible for ensuring that the products they sell comply with regulations. At the same time, he added that the rules apply to commercial activities and that the Customs Product Safety Unit focuses only on commercial imports.
Finnish customs said that it is “is aware of skin whitening products and that it also controls imports for personal use”. However, it noted that the quantities of products arriving in Finland in this way have been “reasonably low”. Customs added that individual users also have a duty to investigate product safety.
Neffling said that knowledge and knowledge of regulation can help ensure that potentially harmful products do not reach consumers in Finland.
“I think the information on cosmetic regulations is bad for some users. Usually these companies are small or newly established and are not active in organizations such as the Technochemical Association [the Finnish Cosmetic and Detergent Association],” Neffling said.
He suggested that training could help companies stay on the right side of regulations. “Of course, they need a lot of resources to find requirements because the legislation is quite complex,” he concluded.
Source: The Nordic Page