Cosmetics, toys, electrical appliances make up majority of EU alerts on dangerous products 

According to the report, 97% of the cosmetics alerted to the system were found to contain butylphenyl methylpropional, a synthetic perfume ingredient known by the trade name Lilial, which has been banned from the EU market since 2022. File picture: Alamy

Cosmetics, toys, electrical appliances, and motor vehicles made up the majority of the 4,127 instances of dangerous non-food products reported to the EU's Safety Gate product tracker last year — the highest total reported since the system launched in 2003.

According to the European Commission's annual report on Safety Gate, the European rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products, cosmetics accounted for 36% of last year's alerts, followed by toys (15%), electrical appliances and equipment (10%), motor vehicles (9%), and chemical products (6%).

Safety Gate, the main tool of the EU's General Product Safety Directive (GPSD), allows national authorities in 30 countries to rapidly exchange information on dangerous products found in their market.

In terms of the type of risk associated with the products flagged last year, nearly half (49%) related to a chemical risk, followed by the risk of physical injury (14%), a risk to the environment (8%), a choking hazard (7%), and a risk of electrical shock (7%).

According to the report, 97% of the cosmetics alerted to the system were found to contain butylphenyl methylpropional, a synthetic perfume ingredient known by the trade name Lilial, which has been banned from the EU market since 2022. The European Chemicals Agency says the substance causes cause allergic reaction to the skin and can adversely affect fertility and foetal development.

The Safety Gate report also noted that other harmful chemicals were found in the cables of electronic devices, in vape liquids, clothes, jewellery, and in children's toys.

• 40% of the alerts validated related to products which originated in China, 16% originated in Italy, and 24% originated in EU/EEA countries other than Italy.
• 71 alerts reported to Safety Gate from Ireland last year were validated, resulting in in 221 follow-up actions by other member countries. 
• 20% of the items were categorised as "childcare articles and children's equipment", 18% were electrical appliances, and 14% were toys.

"We cannot let the products we use every day harm our health or the environment we live in," Michael McGrath, the European Commissioner responsible for consumer protection said at a press conference on Wednesday.

"The products we consume, the tools we use, and the clothes we wear, are an integral part of our daily lives and that is why product safety is so fundamentally important.

"Product safety is the cornerstone of consumer protection, and of our single market."