Published on:
18
December 2008
Shoppers are being asked to check their nail polish purchases - after a sample of nail polish tested earlier this year was found to contain the banned substance Dibutyl Phthalate.
Rosemary McLellan, Trading Standards Officer with Stirling and Clackmannanshire Joint Trading Standards Service said: "Phthalates are a group of synthetic chemicals which are used as plastic softeners or solvents in many different consumer products. They are often added to cosmetics to provide flexibility, impart an oil 'moisturising' film and help dissolve and fix other ingredients. The phthalate that was commonly used in nail varnishes was DBP (Dibutyl phthalate) because it helped to prevent the nail polish chipping. The nail polish that was tested was Glam Nail Polish and DBP was listed in the ingredients.
"All new nail polishes should be free of this chemical however at this time of year old stock is sometimes brought out again and new cheaper lines introduced as items that could be bought as stocking fillers. Consumers and traders are asked to be on the look out.
"If any consumers have any old bottles of nail polish at home that contain DBP they should put them in the bin."
DBP - Dibutyl phthalate together with DEHP - bis (2 -Ethylhexyl) phthalate and DMEP - bis (2-Methoxyethyl) phthalate are now banned in the manufacture of cosmetics.
If you are concerned about a product that you have bought please contact Trading Standards Service in confidentiality.
The legal control of phthalates
Cosmetics in the EU are regulated by directive 76/768/EEC, which is implemented in the UK by The Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2004.
In 2001 the EU classified DEHP (bis (2 -Ethylhexyl) phthalate) and DBP (Dibutyl) phthalate) as substances toxic to reproduction by directive 67/548EEC; the directive on classification and labelling of dangerous substances.
The two phthalates were assigned to category two that defines them as ' chemicals, which should be regarded as if they impair fertility in humans' and 'substances, which should be regarded as if they cause development toxicity to humans'.