ECHA, REACH and Permanent make up
13th October 2021 by Helga Langreiter and Ingrid Bregenzer
How do ECHA and the new REACH regulation affect my Permanent make up institute?
This is a question that all Permanent make up, Microblading and beauty institutes are currently asking themselves. The Swiss Color team has been dealing with this issue for years and we are pleased to announce that from November 2021 all pigments and products manufactured and sold by Swiss Color will be ECHA compliant and REACH compatible!
What is ECHA?
ECHA is the European Chemicals Agency. It implements EU legislation on chemicals to protect health and the environment. Color pigments and other ingredients are used to produce PMU pigments and are regulated by ECHA.
Everything is made of chemicals. Better knowledge about harmful chemicals and better regulation of these substances protects workers, consumers and the environment.
ECHA regulates these chemicals by setting the permitted levels of various chemicals and substances so that they do not harm or endanger our health.
What is REACH?
REACH is the current European chemicals legislation and, based on it, a system for the registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals. ECHA is responsible for managing this REACH system.
What does REACH stand for?
REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.
What is the REACH regulation?
The REACH regulation is the basis for EU-wide chemicals legislation. In general, it comprises the sum of all resolutions and the tattooing products regulations implemented from them, as well as parts of the Cosmetics Regulation and the Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) of substances and mixtures.
On 14 December 2020, the Official Journal of the European Union published Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/2081 amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) with regards to substances in Permanent make up and tattooing inks.
The main contents of the document are:
- Mixtures containing certain substances in specified concentrations may not be placed on the market for use for Permanent make up and tattooing purposes and may not be used for Permanent make up and tattooing purposes after 04.01.2022.
- In general, mixtures placed on the market for use for Permanent make up and tattooing purposes must be labelled "Mixture for use in Permanent make up or tattooing" from 04.01.2022 and may not be used for Permanent make up and tattooing purposes without this labelling. Further safety information shall be provided on the packaging or in the instructions for use. A Permanent make up stylist or tattooist shall provide this information to the person undergoing the procedure. The information or labelling must be provided in the relevant official languages, unless the member states concerned provide otherwise.
To which products does REACH apply?
In principle, REACH applies to all chemical substances that occur in daily life. Thus, ingredients used in the manufacture of Permanent make up & Microblading pigments, tattoo dyes, cleaning products, paints/varnishes as well as in products such as clothing, furniture and electrical appliances are also covered by this regulation.
ECHA, REACH and Swiss Color
As of November 2021, all pigments and products manufactured and sold by Swiss Color are ECHA compliant and REACH compatible.
For further information or questions, please contact our team by phone at +43 5332 56671 or by mail at info@swiss-color.com.
We wish you continued success!
Yours, Ingrid Bregenzer and Helga Langreiter
Further Details
* This concerns:
- Carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction substances according to Annex VI Part 3 of the CLP Regulation (except for substances with an effect by inhalation). The limit value is 0.00005% by weight for carcinogenic and mutagenic substances and 0.001% by weight for substances toxic to reproduction.
- Skin sensitising (limit value 0.001% by weight), skin corrosive, skin irritant, seriously eye damaging or eye irritant substances (limit value 0.01% by weight) according to Annex VI Part 3 of the CLP Regulation. The limit value is shifted to 0.1 % by weight for skin corrosive, skin irritant or severely eye damaging or eye irritant substances when these substances are used as pH regulators.
- Substances listed with relevant conditions in Annex II or IV to Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 [Cosmetics Regulation] and
- substances listed in Appendix 13 of Annex XVII to REACH.
- These provisions shall not apply
- until 04.01.2023 for the substances Pigment Blue 15:3 (CI 74160) and Pigment Green 7 (CI 74260), as well as for
- substances which are gaseous at standard temperature and pressure, with the exception of formaldehyde.
- The restrictions do not apply to mixtures placed on the market or used exclusively for medicinal purposes as defined in Regulation (EU) 2017/745.
Ingrid Bregenzer and Helga Langreiter
Ingrid Bregenzer is CEO of SC-International AG.
Helga Langreiter is CEO of SC Cosmetics Handels GmbH.