Regulatory Design for New Technologies: Spaghetti Junction or Bauhaus Principles for Regulating Innovative Cosmetic Products

Employing cosmetics as a case-study, this article reviews the readiness of the Australian, European Union (EU) and United States (US) regulatory structures to deal with new technologies such as those based on nano-science. Recent developments in the EU regulatory readiness would seem to suggest a development towards inserting nano-anchors in existing regulations, even if no immediate plans have been made to also include tailor-made provisions for those applications. This type of neat and functional design (hence the Bauhaus reference in the title) contrasts with the spaghetti junction approach that typifies other jurisdictions (and, until recently, the EU). The development and commercialisation of nanotechnologies has become an important adjunct for traditional industries due to the increasing consumer demand for improved products. These improvements may be aesthetic or functional in nature, or both, depending on the product itself. Unsurprisingly, consumer demand for cosmetic products that ‘renew, restore, and rejuvenate’ 1 has resulted in an escalating interest by the cosmetic industry in the use of nanotechnologies within cosmetic formulations. A number of cosmetic products which claim to incorporate engineered nanomaterials have already entered the market and include, for instance, anti-ageing creams, make up, hair care products, cleansers and moisturisers. It is thought that these products contain an assortment of engineered nanomaterials ranging from metal oxides, fullerenes, quantum dots, liposomes and nanospheres. Yet despite the reported wide-spread use of nanomaterials within the cosmetic industry 2 , the exact nature and extent to which engineered nanomaterials are being used by the cosmetics industry in their products remains ambiguous 3 . While the use of engineered nanomaterials within cosmetics offers a range of benefits, including increased transparency and solubility, there has been increasing debate over the potential health risks posed by some of the engineered nanoparticles

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