Cosmetic products - Borderline situations (2001)

The main purpose of this survey is to clarify the situation in various European countries as regards the classification of certain categories of products, known as "borderline" or "fringe", and to establish whether the latter should be classified as cosmetic products or as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biocidal products, foodstuffs or general consumer products.
The national delegations which took part in this exercise considered it important to obtain a clearer picture of the "classification situation" of these categories in Europe. This has a bearing on the responsibilities of their national authorities in ensuring at all times that their legislation sufficiently protects the consumer's health when using different kinds of consumer products.