. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/EEC/165 
24 October 2007 
 (07-4579) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   European Commission 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:    
European Commission 
EC-TBT Enquiry Point Fax:  +(32) 2 299 8043 E-mail: ec-tbt@ec.europa.eu   Website: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/ 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Cosmetics (hair dye 
products) 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   List of cosmetic 
substances proposed for a ban in hair dy e products by amending Council Directive 
76/768/EEC of 27 July 1976 (“Cosmetics Directive”). 
6. Description of content:    
In view of safety concerns expressed in re lation to the use of some hair dyes, the 
Commission agreed in April 2003 together with  Member States and the stakeholders, on an 
overall detailed strategy to regulate hair dy e substances within the framework of the 
Cosmetics Directive. The strategy was published as an “ Information note on the use of 
ingredients in permanent and non-permanent  hair dye formulations (dye precursors and 
direct dyes) ” on the following website of the Commission:  
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/cosm etics/doc/hairdyestrategyinternet.pdf 
 The overall objective of this strategy is to regulate the use of hair dye substances on the 
basis of a scientific evaluation of safety data according to the most recent safety 
requirements of the SCCP. The main elemen t of the strategy is a tiered, modulated 
approach, requiring industry to submit, by certain deadlines, safety files on hair dye 
substances to be assessed by the Scientific  Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP).  
 G/TBT/N/EEC/165 
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Substances used in hair dye products for whic h no files had been submitted before the cut-
off date of 30 September 2003 (as agreed in th e above mentioned strategy) were considered 
for a ban, on the high est priority basis. 
After a progressive banning procedure of hair  dye substances without any updated safety 
files, the Commission is now proposing a ban of  49 remaining chemical substances which 
can be used for hair dyeing purposes. These s ubstances are currently regulated as colorants 
in Annex IV of the Cosmetics Directive. As no updated safety files on these substances, when used in hair dye products, were submitte d to the SCCP for a risk assessment by the 
agreed deadlines, there is no ev idence that these substances, when  used in hair dye products, 
can be considered safe for human health.  
The purpose of this regulation is to strengthen the protection of health and safety of 
European consumers using hair dye products. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Protection of human health. 
8. Relevant documents:   :  Council Directive of 27 July 1976 on the approximation of the 
laws of the Member States relating to cosmetic products (76/768/EEC) http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/co smetics/html/consolidated_dir.htm). 
See also notification: G/TBT/N/EEC/107 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }End of 2007 / beginning of 2008 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days from circulation by the WTO Secretariat. 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
European Commission 
EC-TBT Enquiry Point Fax:  +(32) 2299 8043 E-mail:  ec-tbt@ec.europa.eu   The text is available on the EC-TBT Website:  
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/