The SCCS, based on all information provided by Notifiers, is of the opinion that it is not possible to carry out safety assessment of the nanomaterials Copper and Colloidal Copper due to the limited or missing essential information, since most of the information made available to the SCCS regarding toxicity related to copper, hence, it was not possible to determine the relevance of the data for the nano-forms. Adequate information on various aspects both for the nanomaterial characterisation and the toxicological evaluation including experiment performance and experimental data still needs to be provided.  

The information provided by the Notifiers, and obtained from scientific literature, suggested possible systemic uptake of Cu nanoparticle (and/or ionic Cu), which may lead to accumulation in certain organs - notably the liver and spleen. In addition, the available literature data indicated potential mutagenic/genotoxic and immunotoxic/nephrotoxic effects of copper nanomaterials. These indications raise an alert that warrants further safety evaluation of copper nanomaterials used as cosmetic ingredients. More information regarding the overview of the information provided by the Notifiers compared to data requirements as given in the SCCS checklists for applicants is provided in Annex I of the report. SCCS concerns for consumer safety are provided in Annex II of the report.

The full report can be downloaded here.