In a surveillance project undertaken by the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA) and coordinated by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), no hazardous banned chemicals of cyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and cyclopentasiloxane (D5) were found in a wide range of cosmetic products available in Malta and Gozo.
The inspection of 127 cosmetic products conducted by the Market Surveillance Directorate of the MCCAA found no banned chemicals of D4 and D5. The products inspected including a range of wash-off cosmetics, such as face gels, shower gels, shampoos, and conditioners. All the 127 cosmetics products inspected were found to be in conformity with EU regulations.
The MCCAA actively participates in pan-European surveillance projects to ensure that consumers in Malta and Gozo are offered safe products. In 2024, the Authority enrolled in 14 projects, including one in collaboration with the Environmental Health Directorate. These projects, financed by the European Union, involve testing a broad range of consumer products in specialised laboratories, from toys to electrical products to gas cylinders.
Moreover, following trends observed in other EU markets, the MCCAA launched a project to check for the presence of BMHCA, a controversial cosmetic preservative banned by the EU in 2023 due to potential endocrine disruption and skin sensitisation concerns. This project which involved scouring the local market for the presence of this ingredient, continued throughout 2024, with the MCCAA inspecting an additional 151 products specifically for this ingredient and none of these products were found to contain BMHCA.
In 2024, 5,642 checks were conducted by the MCCAA on cosmetics, chemical products, and detergents. These included physical inspections, digital checks conducted by the Digital Investigations Unit within the MCCAA, screening the local market for products reported as dangerous by other countries, checks at the border through collaboration with the Customs Department and follow-ups on complaints and reports received. This number does not include numerous other screening exercises of the local market conducted through coordinated inspections with other inspectorates in Malta.
These market surveillance initiatives underscore the MCCAA’s commitment to ensuring consumer safety and maintaining high standards for products available in Malta and Gozo.
Such efforts are all part of a broader strategy to enhance the welfare of consumers in Malta, as well as ensuring a level playing field amongst economic operators, aligned with the government’s manifesto measures. Through recent investments, the Authority can take a more proactive stance in both its participation in EU discussions on new regulations for chemicals and market surveillance.
