BACKGROUND

Silver Zinc Zeolite (SZZ) (CAS No. 130328-20-0, EC No. 603-404-0) with INCI name ‘Ammonium Silver Zinc Aluminium Silicate’ is included in the European database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients (CosIng) with the reported functions of ‘absorbent’, ‘deodorant’ and ‘preservative’. 

In December 2015, the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) of European Chemical Agency (ECHA) issued an opinion recommending a ‘Toxic for reproduction Category 2’ classification (i.e. suspected of damaging the unborn) for Silver Zinc Zeolite. 

In May 2017, the Commission Regulation No. 2017/7762 amended – for its adaptation to technical and scientific progress – Regulation No. 1272/2008 on classification, labelling, and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP Regulation). In particular, a new entry in Annex VI to the CLP Regulation was added for ‘Silver Zinc Zeolite (Zeolite, LTA framework type, surface-modified with silver and zinc ions) [This entry covers LTA (Linde Type A) framework type zeolite which has been surface-modified with both silver and zinc ions at contents Ag+ 0,5%-6%, Zn2 + 5 %-16 %, and potentially with phosphorus, NH⁴⁺, Mg²⁺ and/or Ca²⁺ each at level <3%]’. 

In May 2019, the Commission Regulation No. 2019/831 amended Annexes II, III, and V to Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 (Cosmetics Regulation) following the provisions of Article 15 on CMR substances and the substance Silver Zinc Zeolite was added in entry 1597 of Annex II as a prohibited substance in cosmetic products. 

In August 2020, the European Commission received a dossier submission by the industry to support the safety assessment of Silver Zinc Zeolite as a preservative in cosmetic products, in particular in spray deodorant and powder foundation. 

In light of the information provided, the Commission requested the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) to carry out a safety assessment on Silver Zinc Zeolite when used as a preservative in cosmetic products. 

WHAT’S NEW?

Following the preliminary opinion on April 4, 2023, the SCCS published its final opinion and scientific advice on the use of Silver Zinc Ziolite in cosmetics. 

The SCCS considers that Silver Zinc Zeolite incorporating a maximum silver content of 2.5% is safe in spray deodorant and powder foundation when used at the proposed concentration of 1%. These conclusions are aligned with the ones presented in the preliminary opinion on April 4, 2023. 

REFERENCES

Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety Opinion on silver zinc zeolite (CAS No. 130328-20- 0, EC No. 603-404-0), preliminary version of 21 March 2023, final version of 21 December 2023, SCCS/1650/23