Testing Methodology

Market Review:

WGO conducted face-to-face questionnaires in October and November 2016 with 200 Hong Kong parents who have children under the age of three. The market review was to understand the Hong Kong market for baby personal care products so that a sampling method can be decided.

Sampling Method:

WGO decided to only collect baby lotions from the 7 leading Hong Kong retailers including City’ Super, Eugene, Mannings Baby, ParknShop, Watsons Baby, Wellcome, and Yata.

Testing Criteria:

In order for products to be on the ‘White List’, they must pass all of the following criteria:

BIOLOGICAL

Products must pass Estrogenic Endocrine Disrupting Chemical (EDC) tests which analyse the way chemicals interact and affect the human body. (As mentioned before, endocrine disruptors are chemicals that negatively affect hormones in the human body and cause fatal health problems). In order to pass, products cannot exceed the amount of Estrogen Equivalent Concentration (EEQ) that is allowed. According to “Evaluations of the joint FAO/WHO expert committee on food additives (JECFA)” (2000, latest evaluation in 1999) on Estradiol-17beta, published by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO), the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of Estradiol-17beta is 0-50 ng/kg bw .

CHEMICAL

Products must pass all chemical tests required for product safety. Heavy metals, methanol, and free formaldehyde levels must not pass regulations from the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics, 2015 edition, China Food and Drug Administration (i) Heavy Metal Contamination - Part 1 General, Table 2 (3.4) Restricted Limit of Harmful Elements in Cosmetic Products. Baby skincare products cannot exceed the following:

Heavy metal

Arsenic (As) ≤2mg/kg(ppm)
Lead (Pb) ≤10mg/kg(ppm)
Mercury (Hg) ≤1mg/kg(ppm)
Cadmium (Cd) ≤5mg/kg(ppm)

Methanol ≤2000mg/kg(ppm)
Free formaldehyde ≤2000mg/kg(ppm)

INGREDIENT CHECKING

Products must not contain any chemicals that are associated with health complications, eco-toxicity, or contamination by scientific safety evaluations, or are banned by the following governmental agencies and authoritative bodies.

US: USFDA’s ‘Summary of colour additives for use in the United States in foods, drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices’ and ‘Prohibited & Restricted Ingredients’
EU: European Commission No. 1223/2009
China: China FDA’s ‘Safety and Technical Standard for Cosmetics’ (2015)
Japan: Japan’s ‘Standards for Cosmetics’ (2000)

For more details on the methodology, please refer to the full report.

Terms and Conditions

WARNING:

The testing result is based on the random samples and the reasonable tests according to Laboratory Testing Methodology and Criteria. The results are just for reference only and should not be considered as the medical advice and opinion. Medical Practitioner or Medical Professionals should be consulted before use of the testing results. DO NOT USE such information or advice for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. Please always consult your doctors, medical practitioner, medical professionals, or qualified healthcare providers before the use of the tested products. The information does not constitute an endorsement to specific products or brands in the white list conducted by World Green Organisation. Vitargent's verified label applies only to specific batch of tested products. We do not assume responsibility towards or accept liability to any other person for the content of this List.