Cosmetics top the list of dangerous non-food products

At a press conference for the Safety Gate report, presenting the results of consumer protection in 2024, EU Commissioner for the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath said that 4,137 alerts were reported last year in the EU member states, as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The 30 participating countries also sent 4,279 so-called follow-up notifications.

The EU Rapid Alert System for Dangerous Non-Food Products does not cover medicines, medical devices or animal feed, which have their own alert systems.

The EU Commissioner said that the number of alerts recorded in 2024 was the highest since the system was introduced in 2003, almost double the number in 2022. The increase in the number of alerts shows the increasing effectiveness of the system and the trust of consumers in the system

– he explained.

According to the report, the three most frequently reported risks identified last year were the presence of chemicals (49 percent), personal injury caused by products (14 percent) and poisoning caused by environmental pollution. Cosmetics (36 percent), toys (15 percent) and electrical household appliances (10 percent) top the list of risky products, followed by vehicles (9 percent) and chemical products (6 percent).

They highlighted that the most common chemicals hazardous to human health and safety in the alerts were cadmium, nickel and lead found in jewelry, allergenic fragrances found in oils used for personal care, and synthetic chemicals used to soften plastic.