Cosmetic products made available on the market are continuously controlled by the responsible monitoring authorities and assessed by cosmetics experts. These market controls and the predominantly responsible cosmetics manufacturers ensure that cosmetic products are safe and harmless to the health of consumers. The examination and assessment of the official samples takes place at our premises in Vienna as well as at the food testing institutes of the provinces of Carinthia and Vorarlberg.

Our task is to examine cosmetic products in cooperation with the testing institutes of the federal states, the Federal Ministry of Health and the food inspection authorities of the federal states by taking samples on the market (drugstores, department stores, supermarkets, health food stores, organic food stores, markets, trade fairs) and directly from manufacturers and importers.

Our department GEKO (commodities and cosmetics, Institute for Food Safety Vienna) examines the products for compliance with the material regulations, checks the labeling and assesses the products based on the results found. Between 700 and 1,000 cosmetic products are examined each year.

The inspection spectrum for cosmetic products includes chemical-physical analyses, hygiene requirements and inspection in accordance with legal regulations.

The chemical review relates primarily to the ingredients regulated under Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 - i.e. prohibited (Annex II) and restricted substances (Annex III), preservatives (Annex V) and light protection filters (Annex VI) - and to undesirable substances such as impurities (e.g. heavy metals) and residues.

Microbiological results are another important evaluation criterion for cosmetic products. The guide values used for the assessment are based on the requirements for microbiological quality for finished cosmetic products in ÖNORM EN ISO 17516: 2015 01 01 Cosmetic products - Microbiology - Microbiological limits and the SCCS Notes of Guidance (11th revision, Appendix 9).

Verification of the labeling elements required by the Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 is also carried out.

To avoid deceiving the consumer, particularly emphasized effects and advertising claims are checked on the basis of analytical tests and/or the documentation submitted by the responsible person. Cosmetic products shall not, by name, indication, presentation, or claims as to effect, mislead the consumer as to characteristics which the products do not possess. Any claimed effect of a cosmetic product must therefore be substantiated (see Article 20 "Advertising claims" of Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 and Regulation (EU) No. 655/2013 establishing common criteria for substantiating advertising claims related to cosmetic products and the Guideline to this Regulation).

In addition, factory audits of manufacturers and importers are carried out by the Food Inspectorate, which includes a review of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

If you are interested in our analytical services, please feel free to contact us.

A marketability opinion is not required by law, but can additionally be commissioned at the request of the responsible person or the distributor. For the issuance of a marketability certificate, the cosmetic product is examined according to the current food law regulations. Authorized experts for cosmetic products as well as cosmetic experts of the AGES and the testing institutes of the federal states are entitled to issue such an opinion. Marketability certificates are subject to a fee.