LoginUnsafe Cosmetics in East Midlands
Non-compliant cosmetics were seized as part of a region-wide collaborative initiative.
Journal of Trading Standards Staff
Posted 26 August 2025 | JoTS Online
Content Tags: Updates|Product Safety|East Midlands
Trading Standards teams from across the East Midlands have joined forces as part of a coordinated initiative to remove unsafe cosmetic products from the region’s retailers.
Officers from Trading Standards services including Derby City Council, North Northamptonshire Council, West Northamptonshire Council and Nottingham City Council hit the streets earlier this month to clamp down on products that can cause serious harm to their users.
Of the 198 cosmetic products examined, 78% were found to be non-compliant with UK cosmetic safety regulations.
Some 28% of the products were found to contain banned ingredients including butylphenyl methylpropional, which is known to cause harm to the reproductive system, and hydroquinone, which has been linked to skin irritation and discolouration, contact dermatitis and an increased risk of cancer.
The products can cause serious harm if they contain banned ingredients or lack the relevant information on labels
Levels of compliance were better at stores that were part of national chains, although 29% of the 35 products examined from these shops were found to be non-compliant. Among the 263 products examined from other types of retailer – including independent stores – an astonishing 88% were found to be non-compliant.
Unsafe cosmetics are an area of growing concern for Trading Standards nationally, with products such as skin-lightening creams, teeth-whitening kits and nasal tanning sprays being found to pose serious health risks.
The enforcement project, which was coordinated by Trading Standards East Midlands (TSEM), encouraged individual teams to focus on the products they felt to be of the most concern in their local area.
Derby City Council seized 12 different product types, mostly skin lightening creams, from independent retailers. The products were found to contain banned ingredients including hydroquinone, as well as non-permitted colours and corticosteroids. The team removed a further 72 products from sale for breaching UK cosmetic regulations, including missing information on labels.
Councillor Shiraz Khan, Cabinet Member for Housing, Strategic Planning, and Regulatory Services at Derby City Council, said: “I’m proud of the work that the Trading Standards team at Derby City Council, as part of a wider East Midlands initiative, have done to tackle the sale of harmful cosmetic products.
“During the cost-of-living crisis, it might be tempting for people to do cosmetic treatments at home, but the products can cause serious harm if they contain banned ingredients or lack the relevant information on labels.
“This recent project shows just how necessary it is that we tackle the sale of harmful cosmetics in local authorities across the country, and our Trading Standards team work hard to ensure that products, which are being sold in Derby, are safe for all.”
Another of the teams which took part in the initiative, North Northamptonshire Trading Standards, identified issues with all of the products they sampled. These ranged from minor labelling omissions to a teeth-whitening product which contained 7.32% hydrogen peroxide – far in excess of the 0.1% legal limit.
Councillor Kirk Harrison, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Regulatory Services, said: “This is an excellent piece of collaborative work between Trading Standards teams in the East Midlands. Some of these statistics are quite shocking and show the serious risks posed by unsafe cosmetic products.”
Nottingham City Council Trading Standards Officers seized several cosmetic products containing banned ingredients including butylphenyl methylpropional, as well as face paints with non-permitted Solvent Yellow 172 and undeclared colourants such as CI 45160 and CI 45174, which are not authorised for use in cosmetic products.
Councillor Corall Jenkins, Nottingham City Council’s Executive Member for Communities, Waste and Equalities, said: “Consumers deserve to know that the items they purchase are safe and properly labelled. Anyone who has any concerns should contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline.”
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Content Tags: Updates|Product Safety|East Midlands
