Who controls the safety of propylene glycol in Europe?
The European Council´s Pharmacopoeia document issued by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) defines strict rules for the identification, analytical testing and quality specifications of chemicals used in pharmaceutical applications, such as propylene glycol. This document is regularly updated, recently in 2008. In addition, the European authorities responsible for consumer safety have assessed propylene glycol USP/EP (pharmaceutical grade) and approved it to be safe for use in direct and indirect food contact. For cosmetics applications, it is the Personal Care Products Council that monitors and approves the use of substances in cosmetics, such as propylene glycol USP/EP.
