ZMUni Compliance Centre

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) was established in 1976 and is funded by the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) in the United States. Its evaluation process operates independently of the PCPC and the cosmetics industry, and assessment reports are published in the International Journal of Toxicology. As an international authority on cosmetic safety assessments, CIR's published conclusions serve as an important data source for the full version of China’s CPSR.

CIR organizes expert reviews of valuable data and information related to cosmetic ingredients based on its annual priority assessment list. After each meeting, CIR releases a "Post Meeting Announcement" summarizing the progress and results of ingredient evaluations, categorized into:

• Final Safety Assessments

• Tentative Safety Assessments

• Insufficient Data Announcements

In 2024, the CIR expert panel held four meetings (168th to 171st), resulting in the publication of ten final safety assessments. These included assessments for 1,2,4-Trihydroxybenzene, 56 yeast-derived ingredients, 4-amino-m-cresol, 9 lanolin and lanolin-derived Ingredients, toluene, methyl isobutyl ketone, butylated hydroxyanisole, t-butyl alcohol, three pentapeptides and inositol.

Note: The table above summarizes ingredient types without safety judgments.

Key Insights from the Reports

Safety Assessment of Inositol in Cosmetics

Inositol is generally used in cosmetics as a hair conditioning agent and humectant. According to current cosmetics regulations in China and the EU, its use in cosmetics is unrestricted. The CIR expert panel summarized relevant data and reached the following conclusions:

• Inositol is safe in cosmetics at the use methods and concentrations described in this safety assessment.

• The highest safe concentration for leave-on products is 4%, while for rinse-off products, it is 1%. There is no established safe concentration for use in products for children.

Link to Safety Assessment Report

Safety Assessment Revision for Lanolin and Lanolin Derivatives in Cosmetics

Lanolin and lanolin-derived Ingredients primarily serve as emollients and hair conditioning agents in cosmetics and are unrestricted under current regulations in China and the EU. The CIR expert panel reviewed the safety of lanolin and eight lanolin derivatives in a report from 1980, and a re-evaluation in 2005 concluded no further safety assessment was necessary. Given that more than 15 years have passed, the safety of lanolin and its derivatives was re-evaluated. The CIR expert panel concluded:

• The use of nine lanolin and lanolin derivative ingredients in cosmetics is safe at the described use methods and concentrations.

• For common lanolin, based on the latest CIR usage statistics, the highest safe concentration for leave-on products is 40%, while for rinse-off products, it is 10%. The maximum safe concentration for children's products is 0.2%.

Link to Safety Assessment Report

Safety Assessment of Yeast-Derived Ingredients in Cosmetics

Yeast-derived ingredients are typically used as skin protectants or conditioners in cosmetics and are unrestricted under current regulations in China and the EU. The CIR expert panel reviewed existing data to determine the safety of these ingredients and concluded:

• 21 yeast-derived ingredients and 22 generic yeast-derived ingredients are safe in cosmetics at the described use methods and concentrations if derived from yeast species with skin sensitization data, food use status, or sufficient ingredient data.

• Existing data are insufficient to determine the safety of the remaining 13 ingredients under the expected use conditions in cosmetic formulations.

Link to Safety Assessment Report

Preliminary Safety Assessment

Additionally, some ingredients are still in the preliminary safety assessment stage, with final safety assessment reports expected to be released in 2025. The ingredients under preliminary safety assessment are as follows:

In 2024, scientific assessment results from international authorities, such as the EU SCCS and the US CIR, provided important references for the cosmetics industry, reflecting the complexity and rigor of safety evaluations. ZMUni will continue to monitor global cosmetic and ingredient regulations, offering professional compliance support to clients.