Cosmetics and Children
Cosmetics products intended for use on children below the age of three must undergo a specific safety assessment that takes account of their special needs, such as their higher skin surface area to body weight ratio.
The assessment must be carried out and signed by a duly qualified professional and, like all cosmetic safety assessments, it is open to inspection by the competent authorities.
Annex III of the Cosmetics Directive lists restrictions and conditions on specific substances and includes substances that must not be used in products for children under three.
Some substances carry requirements on the quantity to be used on children under six, or require products containing them be labelled for adult use only, for example, Sodium monofluorophosphate, which is used in oral hygiene products.