Octocrylene is a chemical UV filter found in many sunscreens and which has been singled out for years by scientists.
This is a rare procedure initiated by ANSES. On May 26, the National Health Security Agency sent the government a request to restrict this chemical substance, for its effects on the environment. A chemical filter still widely used in many cosmetics, particularly in sunscreens.
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The request for restriction sent to the government is part of an ongoing assessment of the effects of octocrylene on human health and the environment under the “Reach” regulation, the European regulation which identifies and evaluates chemicals in Europe.
“Unprecedented blocking situation”
While ANSES is continuing its assessment of the health risks, in particular the potential endocrine disrupting effects of octocrylene; its assessment has already raised concern about environmental risks. It therefore initiated what is called an RMOA procedure (“Risk Management Options Analysis”). To put it simply, ANSES has assessed all the options at its disposal to eliminate the risks associated with the presence of octocrylene in the environment. And its conclusions are clear: to overcome these risks, it is necessary to restrict the use of octocrylene. In short: ban it in sunscreens.
Problem: ANSES is now waiting for the government to bring this restriction request to Brussels, which will have the last word on whether or not to withdraw the substance, as required by procedure. And according to information from franceinfo, it gets stuck on the side of the Ministry of Ecological Transition. An “unprecedented blocking situation” according to several internal sources, to the point that staff representatives have expressed their concern to the agency’s board of directors.
When contacted, the office of the Ministry for Ecological Transition confirms that it has received a request from ANSES to ban octocrylene in UV filters for sunscreens. Minister Christophe Béchu would be “favorable at this stage to carry out an analysis of the options”. Concretely, the government affirms with franceinfo that it “will bring the request at European level to analyze all the possible options, with a view to eliminating the risks associated with octocrylene. The ban, supported by France, will be in this context one of the options studied“.
Harmful effects for the environment and possibly carcinogenic
Octocrylene is a substance known for its harmful effects on the environment, on marine life and in particular on corals, several territories having already banned it in sun protection products (the Virgin Islands of the United States or the of the Marshall Islands).
Two years ago, a team of Franco-American researchers also demonstrated that this sunscreen is transformed, once the tube is opened, into a component identified as an endocrine disruptor and possibly carcinogen: benzophenone.