The Synthetic Amorphous Silica and Silicate Industry Association

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Synthetic Amorphous Silica and Silicate Industry Association

Cosmetic Ingredient Review Project Completed

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review, headquartered in Washington, DC, was established in 1976 by an industry trade association, now the Personal Care Products Council. With support from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Federation of America, the mission of CIR is: “The CIR thoroughly reviews and assesses the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics in an open, unbiased, and expert manner and publishes the results in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.” CIR selected silica and several silicates which are used in a variety of cosmetic formulations for a safety assessment by its Expert Panel. The review process began in 2008.

The principle tenets of SASSI’s mission include: to further the understanding of synthetic amorphous silica and silicate health and safety data, to educate the public and government on the views of the industry, and to consult and cooperate with other stakeholders on issues relating to synthetic amorphous silica and silicates.

In 2008, SASSI was invited by CIR’s director, Dr. Alan Andersen, to provide relevant and current technical data as well as health and safety information on synthetic amorphous silica to the Expert Panel. Following CIR’s issuance of the Scientific Literature Review on March 23, 2009, SASSI provided substantial additional information and references on synthetic amorphous silica. The Expert Panel considered the new information and subsequently updated their assessment in the Tentative Safety Assessment issued on June 25, 2009.

SASSI’s is pleased to report to its members that “The Final Report of the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel: Safety Assessment of Silica and Related Cosmetic Ingredients September 25, 2009” has been released and is now publicly available. Based on the latest information provided by SASSI, and in conjunction with the cosmetic applications and use information provided by the Personal Care Products Council, CIR Expert Panel clearly addressed the use of synthetic amorphous silica (SAS) in cosmetics. The report also emphasized that only SAS is safe for use in cosmetic applications, not crystalline silica, and made it clear that SAS does not contain crystalline silica.

At this time SASSI is continuing to work with the Personal Care Products Council on the publication of updated specification sheets for three generic forms of SAS used as cosmetic ingredients, i.e. precipitated, fumed and colloidal silica.

For additional information, please contact:

David A. Pavlich

Association Manager

Synthetic Amorphous Silica and Silicate Industry Association

440-897-8780

May 5, 2010