Regulatory compliance of ingredients
Meeting complex requirementsEnsuring the compliance of ingredients with regulations, for all markets and at all levels, such as innovation, production, transport and marketing, is a prerequisite for all market players. This compliance is essential to guarantee safety for humans and the environment, and to allow free use of our ingredients by our customers worldwide.
Two levels of regulation
Ensuring the compliance of ingredients worldwide requires a broad, technical and robust expertise, to contend with the diversity of regulations, which frequently change according to the application of ingredients and geographical areas.
Ingredients are subject both to chemical regulations, which control chemical substances and guarantee the preservation of the environment and safety of use for workers in direct contact with the ingredient (formulators, production operators at Seppic and its customers), and to sector regulations, which govern the various fields of application of ingredients.
Chemical regulations
Regulations for chemical products cover the control of manufacture and import of chemicals in a given country or area, the classification according to hazard categories, the labelling of these products and, in some cases, their transport. Compliance with these international regulations is essential for the manufacture and import of chemicals and requires additional expertise:
- Knowledge of the numerous regulations related to the control (manufacture, import) of chemical substances such as REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals) in Europe.
- Expertise in the classification of hazards and labelling of chemical substances according to the Globally Harmonised System (GHS) of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (CLP) set up by the United Nations. Seppic has extensive expertise in European, American, Brazilian and Chinese regulations. The labelling of ingredients, and additional information provided by Seppic in safety data sheets (SDS), are among tools dedicated to health protection, worker safety and environmental protection.
- Expertise in the safe transport of hazardous materials.
Sectoral regulation
Ingredients are used in a wide variety of sectors – for example cosmetics, dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, animal health, or other applications such as detergents – each with its own regulations, and variations according to geographical areas. To ensure that its ingredients comply with regulations worldwide, Seppic brings together a wide range of expertise in areas such as:
- Drafting files for ingredient notification and marketing authorization, in order to offer innovations to the end user and anticipate compliance during the development project of a new ingredient. We draw up dedicated dossiers and certificates for our customers to certify the compliance of our ingredients with the various regulations in force, taking into account the conditions of use and the geographical context, such as the creation of DMF (Drug Master File) and LoA (Letter of Authorization) for ingredients in pharmaceuticals, and NDI (New Dietary Ingredients) notification dossiers for ingredients used for dietary supplements.
- Constant monitoring to follow the evolution of these specific regulations and to ensure the compliance of the ingredient throughout the marketing process.
- Active contribution to various professional groups and associations in order to understand and develop the regulatory landscape, particularly in Europe.
Expertise on labels
In addition to the applicable regulations, there are voluntary labels. These labels – many may apply in certain sectors of activity – attest for example to compliance with naturality or ethical standards. They are applicable either directly to the ingredients or to the end products intended for consumers.
In line with our Corporate Social Responsibility program, and to highlight our longstanding commitment to favor the vegetal origins of our ingredients, we label many ingredients.
Voluntary labels are thus implemented for our cosmetic ingredients, such as the Cosmos, Ecocert, NATRUE naturality labels, or halal and kosher certification in accordance with religious precepts. This also applies to ingredients intended for other applications, such as detergents or oil drilling, where Seppic is, for example, undergoing validation by the CEFAS/ OSPAR label.
When labels apply to products used by consumers, such as the European Ecolabel or Nordic Swan, ingredient data is provided to customers to assist them in their efforts. We also assist our customers with ethics-oriented labels such as CFI (Cruelty Free International).