Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are taking action to encourage manufacturers of over-the-counter consumer goods such as soaps, toothpastes, and cosmetics to eliminate triclosan and triclocarbon from their products.

The use of tricolsan and triclocarbon is restricted by Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on Cosmetic Products. Manufacturers may only use these preservatives at specified levels and triclosan is only permitted at those levels in a limited range of cosmetic products. Both ingredients have been examined by the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety who considered them to be safe at these restricted levels and usages.