After a three-year delay, the European Commission has published its first inventory of nanomaterials in cosmetics on the EU market, according to a report published by Chemical Watch.

The Commission blamed the delay on manufacturers and importers whom, it claimed, submitted misleading data. Doreen Fedrigo-Fazio, Senior Policy Officer for the European Environment Citizens Organisation for Standardisation told Chemical Watch that the exercise has demonstrated the difficulty of ensuring companies provide accurate information to legislators.

“The Commission should use this as a learning experience as it continues to work on amendments to REACH to make nano information requirements more specific,” she told Chemical Watch.

The inventory lists 43 substances used in nano-form, among them preservatives, colorants and UV-filters. The catalogue is designed for information purposes only, and is not an list of authorised substances.