We choose cosmetic products more and more consciously, trying to match them to our needs. We are looking for product information which, in accordance with EU legislation, should appear on the packaging of individual products. These must include, among others, the trade name of the cosmetic, data on the manufacturer, as well as the country label, if the product is manufactured outside Poland and the EU Member States.
List of raw materials
Each cosmetic product must be accompanied by a list of ingredients used for its manufacture, which is usually located at the bottom of its packaging and preceded by the word "Składniki" or "Ingredients". Cosmetic ingredients are listed in a uniform form, enabling their identification in all EU countries. The rules of naming are established in accordance with the so-called International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI).
You can read more on this subject in the article "Composition of cosmetics without secrets" by Dr Eng. Magdalena Sikora.
Shelf life of cosmetics
An important piece of information that must be found on the label of a cosmetic product is the shelf life. This term defines the date until which the product, stored under generally accepted or manufacturer-designated conditions, retains its full properties. It is indicated on all products with an expected shelf life of less than 30 months and is most often indicated with the phrase "best used by the end of" followed by the month and year, e.g. 06/2023 (June 2023) or the day, month and year, e.g. 06/06/2023 (6 June 2023). In practice, this means that after this date the manufacturer is not responsible for any consequences related to the further use of the cosmetic.
Period After Opening
On the packaging of some products, instead of the shelf life, the date of manufacture is listed, which clearly states that their minimum shelf life is 30 months. Such products often contain information on how long they can be used immediately after opening, which is considered to be the first use of the product by the consumer. This is abbreviated as PAO (Period After Opening) and indicated by the graphic symbol of the open jar and the period expressed most often in months given by a number followed by the abbreviation M, derived from the Latin word menses, meaning months.
The size and position of the logo should be chosen so that it is clearly visible and legible. The abbreviation PAO must be indicated whenever a change in the characteristics of the cosmetic within a certain period after its opening may represent a risk to the health of the user. This is most often related to the harmful effects of micro-organisms or to a deterioration of the physico-chemical properties of the product. In both cases, the changes occurring in the preparation may lead to a decrease in its effectiveness, which often translates into consumer safety. An obvious example of this may be a decrease in the radioprotective effect of a preparation within a certain time from its opening, which in turn affects the degree of sun protection it provides, which is much weaker than declared on the package.
Other indications
The label of each cosmetic product placed on the market must also contain information on the nominal content of the product in the packaging. This should be expressed in units of weight or volume at the time of packaging. It shall not be mandatory to indicate this quantity for products with a nominal content of less than 5 grams or 5 millilitres, free samples and disposable packaging.
In the case of products whose use differs from the usual rules, such as hair dyes, perms and depilatories, their packaging shall bear specific instructions for use and warnings relating to the possible presence of substances that are not harmful to the health of the user. There may also be other graphic symbols, for example indicating that the product is flammable. In the case of natural cosmetics, the symbol of the relevant certification body is displayed.
When there is no space on the packaging for some important information, e.g. composition of the cosmetic product, method of use, warnings connected with its use, the symbol of a hand on a book should appear there. This pictogram means that a leaflet is attached to the packaging which contains information which is not included on the packaging.
It is worth noting that when choosing a product, you should be guided not only by its appearance, smell, colour, but it is also good to read all the information that appeared on its packaging before buying. The important quality features of a product should be consistent with the list of ingredients on its packaging. This is because the list identifies the raw materials, determines their action and provides restrictions on use.
Long-time employee of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences at the Lodz University of Technology.
