BfR calls for aluminium limit
The German risk assessment agency has called for a limit on the use of aluminium in deodorants and other cosmetics.
The German risk assessment agency Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR) has called for a limit on the use of aluminium in deodorants and other cosmetics, fearing that they could cause consumers to reach unsafe limits if they have already ingested the metal via other sources.
“The estimated intake of aluminium from antiperspirants could possibly
lie within the range determined by the European Food Safety Authority
as the tolerable weekly intake,” said the agency in its website’s FAQ.
“As aluminium is also ingested from other sources, such as food, this
level could be exceeded by part of the population.”
To prevent too high an intake of aluminium, excessive use of antiperspirants containing aluminium should therefore be avoided. “In addition to this, deodorants that do not contain aluminium salts should be used after shaving or if the skin in the armpits is damaged,” the organisation said.
The BfR has recently introduced the FAQ to cover the cosmetic ingredients most commonly of concern to German consumers, including sunscreens, hair dyes and nanoparticles. It explains how and why cosmetics are regulated and looks at particular ingredients such as parabens, arbutin and methacrylate in nail sculpting products, along with issues like the ‘cocktail effect’.
