The 18th annual meeting of the International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR-18) was held this past summer (July 9 – 11) in Taipei City, Taiwan and included an international symposium on “Transformation and Innovation in Cosmetics”. Since July 2023, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) and the Taiwan Cosmetics Industry Association (TWCIA) have served as the rotating co-chairs for this 18th cycle of ICCR.
ICCR brings together regulators and industry representing Brazil, Canada, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Europe, Israel, Japan, South Korea and the United States who meet on an annual basis to discuss cosmetics safety and regulation, as well as enter into a constructive dialogue with relevant cosmetics industry trade associations. In addition, representatives from Egypt, Saudia Arabia, Thailand and the United Kingdom joined the dialogue as Observers.
Collectively, these jurisdictions represent in excess of 65% of the global cosmetics market. ICCR was founded some 18 years ago by its original four members – Canada, the European Union, Japan, and the United States – for the purpose of coordinating the regulation of cosmetics to enhance consumer safety and align regulations to facilitate trade.
As part of their annual meeting, ICCR regulators meet specifically with industry associations from participating jurisdictions in an all-day session (Joint Dialogue). In launching this year’s Joint Dialogue, TFDA and TWCIA reflected on the importance of the forum to share experiences, best practices, and technical/scientific knowledge to support regulatory convergence around the world.
At this year’s meeting, topics discussed included improving consumer communications and integrated strategies for safety assessments. Proposed new topics for work during the coming year include a project to understand regulatory activities and approaches related to digital labelling and to identify common global challenges with labelling into the 21st century.
Industry associations also participate in a variety of working groups with regulators and are able to propose topics for consideration. Industry, through our trade associations in the ICCR jurisdictions, participate with regulators in joint working groups throughout the year to discuss issues of mutual concern and make recommendations that can be endorsed and published by the group of ICCR regulators. These papers – such as allowable levels for impurities of certain substances such as lead (i.e. 10 ppm) – often then become a standard used or referenced by other regulators and industry around the globe.
Over the years, the ICCR meeting has expanded to include an industry symposium led by the hosting jurisdiction. The symposium takes advantage of ICCR-regulators (both full ICCR members and observers) being in the same place at the same time. This provides a unique opportunity for industry to advance or profile a topic or development that could spearhead ‘big picture’ policy dialogue on matters that might not necessarily fit within the technical realm of the ICCR deliberations, but nonetheless are critical to facilitate/support international trade and/or regulatory convergence.
This year’s symposium was titled “”Transformation and Innovation in Cosmetics” and featured four speakers representing cosmetics associations from Taiwan, Japan, and Europe, who shared insights on topics such as green factories and climate-resilient cosmetics, exploring sustainable perspectives and global trends in the industry. More than 300 representatives and professionals from the cosmetics industry, both domestic and international, participated.
Importantly, ICCR remains a critical platform for enhancing international regulatory alignment and standards for our industry – a key objective in facilitating international trade and manufacturing efficiency. For those interested, the ICCR-18 Outcomes Statement can be found HERE.
Health Canada, along with Cosmetics Alliance Canada, will be hosting the next ICCR round of meetings scheduled for July, 2025 in Ottawa. CA will also be chairing the Industry Caucus over the next year. CA will keep members updated on developments as we diligently prepare to welcome the “cosmetics world” next summer!
