Animal cosmetics manufacturers: an unregulated market with many grey areas
Animal care products are not subject to European cosmetics regulations but are legally classified as consumer goods. For many animal cosmetics manufacturers, this means minimal requirements, hardly any controls and a lot of leeway.
Instead of a complete INCI declaration, a rough summary of the ingredients, such as ‘contains <5% anionic surfactants’, is often sufficient. However, this statement does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the quality, skin compatibility or technical level and is deliberately used to sell inferior formulations.
Legally, all hazardous substances contained must be evaluated and the corresponding warnings from the safety data sheets must be included, but this responsibility is often not taken seriously. This also includes hazard pictograms and statements such as ‘causes serious eye irritation’.
However, many animal cosmetics manufacturers simply omit these warnings. Not because they are allowed to be omitted, but because there are hardly any controls and warning symbols do not fit into the marketing concept.
Our approach: Formulating without warning symbols.
At Tojo Cosmetics, we deliberately take a different approach. As a manufacturer of animal cosmetics, we have built up our own raw materials library, which consists exclusively of substances that do not require hazardous substance labelling.
The result is products without warning symbols, without legal grey areas and without compromising on effectiveness and performance.
Animal care is not ‘human cosmetics with fur’.
A key mistake made by many suppliers is that animal products are simply derived from human formulations. However, a responsible animal cosmetics manufacturer knows that this does not work.
The pH value of dog skin, for example, differs significantly from that of human skin. Animals also have an extremely sensitive sense of smell. Certain oils and fragrances can be problematic or even dangerous for them. Some plant oils that are popular in human products are not suitable for daily animal care. That is why we develop each formula specifically for each animal species – tailored to their skin, coat, sensory perception and behaviour.
An often underestimated risk is preservation
Many animal cosmetics manufacturers still use preservatives that have long been banned in human cosmetics, such as isothiazolinones.
These substances are highly allergenic and can cause problems not only in animals but also in humans, as pet owners have close skin contact with their animals on a daily basis.
We consistently avoid such preservation systems and instead rely on modern, skin-friendly alternatives.
Why Tojo Cosmetics is different
As a manufacturer of animal cosmetics, we stand for modern, skin-friendly formulations, no hazardous substance labelling or warning symbols, no allergenic preservatives, no outdated surfactant systems and genuine product development instead of marketing cosmetics. We develop animal care products not because less is allowed, but because animals deserve more.
Are you planning your own pet care brand or would you like to raise existing products to a new level of quality?
Then arrange a free, no-obligation consultation with our development experts at Tojo Cosmetics now.
Together, we develop safe, modern and responsible pet care products – from the initial idea to market readiness.
PS: Be inspired by our products, which we sell under our ‘Elbpfoten’ brand.