Muscat –The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) banned the import of cosmetics and personal care products containing Butylphenyl Methylpropional from Thursday.
‘This is based on the keenness of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion to provide safe and sound products in the local market, and based on the start of implementing the ban on the substance ‘Butylphenyl Methylpropional’ in the European System for Cosmetics and Personal Care Products EC NO. 1223/2009), which is considered a supplementary reference in the Gulf Technical Regulations “Cosmetics – Safety Requirements in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products GSO 1943: 2021 and bound by Ministerial Resolution No.199/2021, " a statement said.
Butylphenyl Methylpropional, commonly known as Lilial (main trade name) or p-BMHCA, is an aromatic aldehyde, a synthetic fragrance ingredient widely used in different types of cosmetics. It is also used in several non-cosmetic products, like household cleaners and detergents.
According to the European Cosmetics Regulation No. 1223/2009, Butylphenyl Methylpropional is included in the list of substances that cosmetic products must not contain except subject to the restrictions laid down (Annex III, entry 83). This meant that its presence in the finished product must be indicated in the list of ingredients on the label when its concentration exceeded 0.01% in rinse-off products and 0.001 per cent in leave-on products.
Opinions issued by the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) have expressed concern about this ingredient (risk of skin sensitisation, aggregate exposure). Butylphenyl Methylpropional as a net compound revealed to be irritating to the skin and eyes of rabbits. Moreover, this ingredient poses a risk of inducing skin sensitisation in humans.
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