HBA Regulatory Summit will call for global unity

Representatives from the FDA and the CTFA as well as lawyers, toxicologists, academics and consultants will be delivering presentations on the increasingly complex web of regulations worldwide. In addition to educating cosmetics professionals, the summit, which will take place on September 19 at the HBA show in New York, will be an opportunity for interested parties to discuss current issues and future developments. Meyer Rosen, the chief scientific officer for HBA Global Expo, said the summit would be a step towards building a harmonious global regulatory system. Rosen said: "We are all marching in the same direction as we all want to have safe cosmetics - it is just that some people are moving faster than others."​ International legal experts Allen and Overy will deliver a presentation on the cascade effect of tighter EU regulations on an increasingly challenging regulatory environment. Rosen explained that the strict EU regulations were actually leading to safer cosmetics elsewhere because cosmetics companies see having the same set of rules across their international divisions as a major incentive to developing procedures that comply with the strictest regulations they are exposed to. China will also be discussed in the presentation as the country's cosmetics industry booms and export safety scares pile up. The appearance of China on the global market has also added to the complexity of the global regulatory tapestry as the different regions of the country have varying regulations and safety standards. Rosen said cosmetics companies operating in China need to educate themselves about the differences in order to guarantee the safety of their products. Other highlights of the summit include an FDA presentation on its perspective on nanotechnology and a pertinent talk on the issue of organic labels. Calls for stricter labeling rules have become louder as cosmetics products containing few organic ingredients continue to be labeled as organic. As for the other presentations, Rosen said that this year's conference program had been designed to include more specific talks to ensure that attendees benefit from in-depth information and analysis on topics of current interest.