On 20 September 2016, UNI Europa Hair & Beauty together with Coiffure EU, the representative social partners in Personal Services Social Dialogue’s Committee, wrote to the Commissioner responsible regarding the process of “Self-testing for contact sensitization to hair dyes”.
The social partners are adamant that the responsibility of the manufacturers cannot be shifted to the individual hairdressers. They share the scientific and clinical considerations of the European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) and other European Scientific Committees, as detailed in the enclosed joint position. In order to find out whether consumers are allergic to certain dyes and colouring substances, manufacturers recommend that a self-test is carried out before product use. In addition to the methodological and scientific concerns of the social partners on the self-test method, it appears that a significant proportion of the hairdressers applying this method are unable to interpret its results nor do they have the appropriate training made available. The social partners call for the abolition of the self-testing method.
Coiffure EU and UNI Europa kindly asked the EU Commission to indicate the actions of follow-up it intends to take regarding the concerns over the skin testing method brought forward by the social partners.