A survey and health assessment of cosmetic products for children

products as possible. A few products can only be ordered by mail order or via
the Internet and these products have also been bought. A few products are
found at hairdressers. However, emphasis has been on products in the retail
shops as it is estimated to be the most important way of shopping.
The survey is undertaken by buying products in the retail shops and at
hairdressers at first. Then a search on the Internet after products not found in
the retail shops has been completed. The few products bought via the Internet
are thus primarily products which are not easily found in the retail shops.
Conversely, many of the products in the retail shops can be bought via the
Internet.
We evaluate that we have got hold of a significant part of the cosmetic
products for children on the Danish market. However, the survey has shown
that bath products designed as different figures – for instance Minnie Mouse,
Barbie, Star Wars etc. – primarily are a product type being sold up to
Christmas. When survey and thus the purchases in the project took place
during the months April, May and June it has not been possible to procure all
products of this type. It has primarily been the leftovers from the Christmas
trade which we have bought. In the light of this we estimate that we have got
hold of about 85-95 % of the products on the Danish market.
One of the big importers of bath products for children which are designed as
different figures has informed that they re-sell these products to shops in
connection with the Christmas trade. One of the big foreign producers of this
product type has been contacted as we hoped to receive declarations of
contents of their products electronically – but with no result.
Furthermore, the project has shown that the products on the market are
frequently replaced; this means that new products are frequently launched on
the market with new appearance and form. It was especially seen when a few
products being chosen for analysis were impossible to find again. On the other
hand a few quite new products had entered the market. However, this case
occurs especially for bath products designed as different animals or things.
4.1.1 Purchase of cosmetic products for children in retail shops
As described, purchase of products in the retail shops has been the primary
way of finding the products. Search for cosmetic products for children has
taken place in different types of shops (convenience stores, toy stores,
children’s clothes stores, bookstores, various “10 kroner” stores and
hairdressers) – mainly in the area of Copenhagen and Northern part of
Zealand. Table 4.1 is an overview of the shops where cosmetic products for
children are found as well as where we have looked for cosmetic products for
children without any result. No found cosmetic products for children in for
instance Kvickly, Super Brugsen or Fakta mean that they only had products
on the shelves which already were found elsewhere.
Table 4.1: Shops where we have bought and looked for cosmetic products for children
Shops where we have looked for products without any Shops where we have bought
result
products
Bahne
B. O. Bøger
Bam Bam
Bilka
Bog & Idé
Capella Toy
Crabtree & Evelyn (Lyngby)
Cha Cha Cha
Debenhams
Din Helsam Butik
Deres
Douglas
Elefant
Føtex
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