Cosmetics: How can we better understand the ever-changing international regulations?

In the cosmetics industry, formulators must deal with regulations that are constantly evolving from country to country. Each region imposes its own standards for ingredients, permitted concentrations, and labeling. Adding to the complexity of managing global regulations is pressure from consumers who are increasingly demanding and concerned about product transparency.
So, how can cosmetic laboratories optimize their development projects and ensure product compliance? This article explores the issues associated with the international regulatory framework and provides solutions to gain peace of mind.

The complexity of regulatory issues in the cosmetics industry

Managing international regulations is a significant challenge, requiring formulators to anticipate local and international restrictions constantly. Indeed, different limits may apply depending on the region in which products are marketed: an ingredient or threshold that is acceptable in the United States, for example, may be rejected in Europe. 
These requirements vary from country to country and by product category. Some preservatives may be allowed at specific percentages in rinse-off products, but their use may be restricted in skin care products left on the face.
At the same time, consumer demand for safer, more sustainable products is changing the game. Today's users want products free of controversial substances while demanding full transparency.

• Read also: Clean Beauty: What is it, and how do we develop "green" cosmetics?

This forces brands to carefully evaluate the ingredients used in their formulas and manage "blacklists" that may differ from country to country.
It is essential to understand current regulations to manage them at every stage of a cosmetic product's development. To avoid costly mistakes, wasted time, and even product withdrawals!

Companies can rely on powerful monitoring tools and software capable of supporting formulators in any target market to maximize their chances of success and optimize their development projects.

PLM tool: your compliance management partner

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions are becoming essential tools for formulators to support them in their daily work.
A cosmetic PLM centralizes and organizes data associated with development projects, making it easier to monitor regulatory requirements and anticipate non-compliance risks by simplifying regulatory information management.

One of the key functions of a PLM tool is to bring together key project information to ensure perfect synergy between all departments. This includes regulatory data that can be updated by region and made available to every user. In this way, everyone has quick access to essential data in an organized and fluid way.

By centralizing information in a single software package, teams no longer must search and sort through data scattered across multiple documents and can collaborate from the earliest stages of a project to check that a formula complies with current regulations. In this sense, a PLM tool promotes transparency, ensures traceability, and simplifies sharing by breaking down departmental boundaries.

PLM tools can also integrate real-time alert systems. Suppose an ingredient or formula is at risk of non-compliance due to a regulatory change in a particular region. In that case, an alert is sent so that action can be taken as quickly as possible. Alerts can also be triggered at the formulation stage, particularly if a threshold is exceeded. This approach ensures compliance from the start of the project, minimizing last-minute adjustments and associated costs.

Compliance is essential for any cosmetics company, and PLM solutions are strategic levers that enable laboratories to meet local standards without compromising their time-to-market.

Coptis Lab: designed to ensure your international compliance

Coptis Lab is a PLM solution specifically designed to meet the needs of cosmetic formulation laboratories. Thanks to its advanced functionalities, it optimizes each phase of the product development cycle while ensuring international regulatory compliance.

Coptis PLM offers a regulatory database, Coptis Reg, which centralizes all regulations by geographical area. Coptis Reg covers around one hundred countries worldwide, and the data is collected and verified by experts from official sources. This access to validated and classified information enables formulation teams to quickly get an overview check of the requirements to be applied.

In addition, users can enter their own restrictions, making the software very flexible. This is an advantage for companies wishing to define their own lists of ingredients to be banned, manage controversial ingredients banned by retailers (Clean at Sephora, EWG, etc.), or integrate specific criteria in addition to current regulations.

Coptis Lab generates automatic alerts to inform users of any risk of non-compliance. Restricted, regulated, or banned substances are easily identified by country, application, or level of use. This proactive approach avoids the back-and-forth between formulators and regulatory teams, that can lead to additional costs and longer time-to-market.

Thanks to its ergonomic interface and centralized data, Coptis Lab promotes collaboration, transparency, and communication between different departments. This not only improves responsiveness but also reliability!

Coptis Lab is a PLM designed to accelerate cosmetic product development projects and manage international regulatory compliance. It enables laboratories to keep abreast of regulatory changes and confidently bring their products to market. Want to find out more? Please do not hesitate to contact our teams.