The Standards Alliance: Phase 2—a public-private partnership program between the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—held the final session of its Cosmetics Standardization Web-series in coordination with the African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) and Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) on February 28, 2023.
“Webinar #7 on Labeling Practices for Cosmetics” was part of a multi-phased, virtual training series launched under the Standards Alliance in March 2021 to provide members of ARSO’s Technical Committee 40 with the latest information on existing international standards and regulations for cosmetics and personal care products. The final webinar focused on existing cosmetics frameworks, enforcement strategies, regulatory entities, and standardization bodies, with emphasis on the different labeling requirements in the United States, European Union, and various regions in Africa.
More than 70 participants attended the webinar, including ARSO technical committee members and global private-sector stakeholders. U.S. and EU industry representatives from the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), Procter & Gamble (P&G), and Cosmetics Europe participated in the webinar and shared their perspectives on labeling requirements for cosmetics in the U.S., EU, and Africa.
The webinar addressed the following key topics:
The event concluded with a Q&A session and in-depth panel discussion that explored the various way cosmetics standardization, regulatory frameworks, and labeling requirements could be harmonized. Key takeaways from the final presentation included a notable highlight of the growing demand for cosmetics businesses in Africa, particularly Afrocentric products, and the associated challenges that still remain regarding priority, capacity, and capability. A former P&G representative encouraged more involvement from local industry, added support from governments, and cross-regional fertilization of ideas and experiences. Cosmetics Europe experts emphasized the benefits of following global best cosmetics labeling practices as opposed to region-specific requirements. Lastly, PCPC reaffirmed its intent to provide more capacity building to support African industries as they continue to take up regulatory frameworks that are based on international best practices for labeling.
This webinar was the final installment in a series of similar activities that ANSI has supported through the Standards Alliance in coordination with PCPC to further cosmetics labeling practices advocacy and existing international standards. PCPC is a leading national trade association representing cosmetics and personal care products companies. The organization has 600 member companies that represent more than 90% of the U.S. beauty industry, and has served as ANSI’s implementing partner for this capacity-building activity.
The workshop agenda and presentations are available on ANSI’s website.