Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Consumer safety (SCCS) - Opinion on the safety of the use of Methylisothiazolinone (MI) (P94), in cosmetic products (sensitisation only).

The information provided does not support the safe use of MI as a preservative in rinse-off cosmetic products up to a concentration limit of 100 ppm from the view of induction of contact allergy. For rinse-off cosmetic products, a concentration of 15 ppm (0.0015%) MI is considered safe for the consumer from the point of view of induction of contact allergy. The information provided does not support the safe use of MI as a preservative in leave-on hair cosmetic products up to a concentration limit of 100 ppm from the point of view of induction of contact allergy. The concerns and opinions raised in SCCS Opinion SCCS/1521/13 (12 December 2013 with revision 27 March 2014) remain. The results of the recent Scandinavian study do not support safety of MI in rinse-off products at either 100 ppm or at 50 ppm for elicitation or induction.