The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) announced on September 18, 2025, that the European Commission (EC) has requested a scientific opinion on the safety of titanium dioxide (nano and non-nano) in cosmetic products. As reported in our May 24, 2024, blog item, on May 23, 2024, SCCS published a document entitled “Scientific Advice on Titanium dioxide (TiO2).” The document noted that the available evidence was not sufficient to exclude the genotoxicity potential of almost all of the types of titanium dioxide grades (nano and non-nano) used in oral cosmetic products and that more information was needed on the potential uptake and cellular effects of the nano grades in the oral mucosa to consider them safe for use in oral-care products. SCCS recommended that the safety assessment of pigmentary titanium dioxide grades used in cosmetics should account for the fact that some of them contain a sizable proportion of the particles in the nano size scale — some over 50 percent (in terms of particle number and median constituent particle size). According to the EC’s request, in June 2025, industry submitted additional data to address the SCCS’ concerns. The EC, therefore, requests SCCS to assess the safety of titanium dioxide in cosmetic products, addressing the following questions:
- Taking under consideration the conclusions of SCCS/1661/23 and the new safety dossier submission, does SCCS consider titanium dioxide safe in oral cosmetic products under the conditions of use reported in the dossier submission?
- In the event that the estimated exposure to titanium dioxide from oral cosmetic products is found to be of concern, can SCCS recommend safe concentration limits for each category of products and types of use?
- Does SCCS have any further scientific concerns regarding the use of titanium dioxide in cosmetic products taking into account the newly submitted dossier?
The deadline for SCCS’ scientific opinion is in 12 months.
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