BfR Offers Guidance on Coumarin in Perfumes, Cosmetics, Body Care

Recommending that consumers reduce overall exposure to coumarin, including in cosmetics, and stating that coumarin not be used at any level in care products for infants and toddlers, the Berlin-based Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has announced an ongoing investigation into coumarin in fragrances. However, BfR does acknowledge that, "There are some suggestions that coumarin taken up through the skin could be less hepatoxic than orally ingested coumarin.

BfR oversaw the analysis of perfumes, body lotions, skin gels, etc., and concluded that "consumers could already exceed the  tolerable daily intake (TDI) of coumarin just by using cosmetics with high coumarin levels." (BfR cites a TDI for coumarin of 0.1 mg per kg body weight.) Yet, even while recognizing the likely lower risk for hepatoxic effects via topical coumarin exposure, BfR suggests consumers reduce their exposure to coumarin via cosmetics.

Read the full report here.

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