The 20th annual meeting of the International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR-20) was held on July 7 to 9 in Tokyo, Japan. As part of their annual meeting, ICCR regulators meet specifically with industry associations from participating jurisdictions in an all-day session (Joint Dialogue) in which Cosmetics Alliance Canada is an active participant.
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. In addition, representatives from other jurisdictions (such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and the United Kingdom) join the dialogue as Observers.
Collectively, these jurisdictions represent in excess of 65% of the global cosmetics market. ICCR was founded 20 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.
Building on the momentum and success of the ICCR-19 meeting last year in Ottawa (co-hosted by Health Canada and Cosmetics Alliance Canada), this year’s meeting included a Strategic Review to reflect on the progress over the past 20 years and to affirm the future direction and mandate of the group.
It was concluded that the current mission and approach of ICCR remain of critical importance and the following operational/strategic direction was affirmed by the group:
Platform for Regulatory Convergence – ICCR to advance regulatory convergence, enabling authorities to align on challenges and best practices, build global consensus, and coordinate action to reduce technical trade barriers.
Commitment – ICCR will build on past initiatives by strengthening global cosmetics regulation cooperation, adapting to globalization and digital advances, and welcoming future members.
Three Pillars for ICCR’s Mission
• Ensuring the Highest Level of Global Consumer Protection Based on Sound Science
• Aiming for Regulatory Convergence to Minimize Trade Barriers
• Strengthening Relationships with Stakeholders Through Strategic Communication
This year’s meeting also featured important regulatory updates from members as well as the formal endorsement of two new project deliverables:
• ICCR General Principles for E-Labelling and Provision of Digital Information for Cosmetic Products, and
• 3 Consumer Communication Carousels and agreement for a coordinated campaign for socialization: 1. What Makes Cosmetics Safe; 2. Helping Consumers Identify Reliable Information on Cosmetics; and 3. Cosmetic Safety – Separating Fact From Fiction.
CA was also pleased that the critical case-study work on the application of non-animal methods to assess cosmetic safety remains a key priority to advance the application of new assessment methods (NAMs) and next generation risk assessment approaches to support cosmetic safety.
In addition to the ICCR Joint Dialogue, there were many corollary events featured including informative Stakeholder Sessions, an Industry Symposium on the “Essentiality of Cosmetics”, and a Technical Workshop building off the success of the skin sensitization workshop that CA hosted in Ottawa at ICCR-19.
CA will be organizing a debrief session with our International Committee to discuss the outcomes from ICCR-20 and chart a path forward for our engagement in the next ICCR 21 cycle – to be hosted by Israel.
CA would like to extend our congratulations to our friends and colleagues at JCIA and MHLW/PMDA (Japan regulators) for their gracious hospitality and leadership! ICCR-20 was a great success that resulted productive outcomes and clear direction to take ICCR into the future.
