Changes in substances in cosmetic products

Since 1 May 2017, the Swiss Ordinance on Cosmetic Products (VKos) refers directly to the annexes of the European Cosmetics Regulation. Corresponding amendments to these annexes, such as the annex with the substances banned in cosmetic products, therefore no longer follow the normal procedures of ordinance revisions in Switzerland. Such amendments must therefore be followed directly on the relevant pages of the European Commission. The transitional periods are particularly severe, usually being very short - for example, in the recent case of the ban on lilial in cosmetic products from 1.3.2022, the transitional period was just 4 months. After the 4 months, no more products containing Lilial could be sold to consumers, i.e. all products had to be sold out or withdrawn and destroyed!