I think that I don't make a mistake if I affirm that when we hear 'inspection' we experiment cold sweat. Even to the most experienced of us, the idea that the AEMPS (any official organism or even a customer) evaluate us generates us some degree of discomfort and uncertainty.

This is a fact, but also is true that, jointly with the experience, also accumulates a positive vision of the inspections, like opportunities to learn and show the fruits of the hard daily work to do well the things.

We, with our position helping to new companies and entrepreneurs, many times have to highlight the need to do upsetting in this second reading of the inspections and try to calm the nerves and the anxiety.

But today we don't talk about this (that it would give for much more that this humble article), but something that we are detecting repeatedly and is the need of the inspection like source of business equity.

And it is that at present with the easy access to the information (in the social networks find from how do the béchamel sauce without grumps until as put you a song like ringtone) a lot of people are looking for how do products of beauty at home. They usually do more or less well and their environment encourages them to make it a form of business.

This is, with little nuances, the story of many of our customers. And theseare wonderful histories.

The problem arrives when in this story neither responsibilities nor knowledge intervene. The cosmetic law is thought to look after the security of the consumer. So if you want to do cosmetic to sell it as for yourself, what would have to is to ensure that what do does not go to damage to anybody, neither to the one who creates it neither to the one who uses it.

Those of us who work professionally in cosmetics know that behind every product there is a lot of work and investment. It is precise to do proofs, studies, guarding that they fulfil norms, regulations, etc. All this to guarantee a level of security adapted.

A cosmetic is not safe if it is not conserved well, if it hasn't aprove a test of efficiency of the preserving… Has to have studied it stability to give him a suitable caducity and to calculate a PAO that guarantee it safe use. No matter how artisan the product is, it must have been manufactured (from the handling of ingredients to the traceability at destination) with good manufacturing practices and safety margins (MoS) must have been calculated.

And we will be in mutual agreement that this level of security don't achieve doing homemade cosmetics.

And what are doing the inspections here? How did we come that the inspections are a mean to the fairness?

There are markets in which coexist, products and responsible brands that keep to the legislation with others that don't do it. And it’s a drama, because we’re not talking about brands that have relaxed quality systems or that manufacture in irregular facilities (things that have always happened) but people who don’t even care about complying with the legislation and that they make in the kitchens of their homes, literally.

Moreover, many of these do apologia in the social media on that the handmade brands don't have to come into effect this law, that doesn't apply them, since according to them is thought to prejudice them. We could call it "Conspiracy of the safe consumers".

I go to try analyze until which point is a drama.

On the one hand, the brands that do the things well have some upper costs. These costs harm the final price of the products, and because of it, their profits are lower.

But it is that, besides, they coexist with these irresponsible brands, already was in the markets and fairs, in niche shop or in the social media, where the reputation is it everything. So they can't claim and take out breast those who do it well without eroding their reputation and by the way lose sales (that they already are complex because as we have said his margins are lower). Besides, that according to the Regulation 655/2013, can not claim the fulfillment of the legality.

And the consumer, that as it has commented in a lot of forums, isn't trained in cosmetic (the majority thinks that don't use cosmetic), even can appreciate and prefer that "handmade touch" and the "homemade" without being conscious of the risks to which exposes , neither appreciate to those who really concern by them.

In summary, very hostile surroundings for those brands that decide to be responsible and do the things well.

But you’ll keep wondering, What are the inspections doing here? I have already arrived.

We have found that when markets or shops require brands to comply with the law, things improve, but it is not enough.

The inspection of the authorities, with the consequent take it off of the market and the publication in Rapex (if it is prescriptive) is the only way to guarantee the access equitation to the consumers.

Above all, in those distribution channels that do not have their own control systems, such as craft markets, specialized retail, online sales outside large markets or direct sales.

It is urgent that the inspection adopt a new level of urgency, for those brands that cannot prove a GMP-compliant manufacturing site. And increase pressure on minority sales channels.

As a sector we must strengthen our positions in defence of consumers. Put aside our uncertainties about compliance and accept that the worst-case scenario is not bad compliance, or even not compliance, but there are certain people who consider that they should not comply and that begins to circulate the idea that brands that do not comply are better.

This is the only way to protect the smallest, the most vulnerable, in a sector made up mostly of SMEs.This is the only way to protect the smallest, the most vulnerable, in a sector made up mostly of SMEs.