Security Data Sheet aka SDS

When new cosmetic products are invented, they must undergo security assessment. In this process, a validated chemist checks its chemical formulation and confirms that the product is safe, compatible with all legal regulations, and ready for marketing.

After security assessment, (usually) the same chemist creates a security data sheet for that product (formerly named medical security data sheet). The purpose of SDS is to provide information about the potential hazards of a product and advice about safety precautions in a standardized form. When you receive a new SDS, go through it to understand the product better. If you don’t want to go through the whole thing, look at the first three sections. Many companies say many things to promote their products that are, in fact, nothing more than just marketing strategies. Understanding how to read SDS will help you know what’s true and what’s not.

For example: since our Superbonder became the most popular product in the eyelash industry, it is now widely copied. Unfortunately, the copies have NOTHING to do with our original product except for the stolen name and product description. If you know how to read SDS, you can catch scammers easily!

Our original Superbonder contains less than 0.01% alcohol as it’s a preservative for only one of its ingredients, so:

1. In section 2 (Hazard(s) identification) it reads:
2. 2.1 Classification according to:
3. Hazard Statement / Hazard Class and – Category: None
4. The product is not subject to labeling.
5. 2.2 Label elements: None.

This means it is a category 0 skin irritant, acceptable to use in the eye area.

1. In section 3 (Composition/information on ingredients) it reads:
2. Substances: Not applicable.
3. 3.2 Mixtures:
4. Dangerous Ingredients: The product contains no substances classified as hazardous to health in concentrations that should be considered according to the EC directive.

Since most of the fake “Superbonders” use a mixture of water and alcohol + a little bit of this and that, if you look at the SDS of the fake “Superbonders,” you will find alcohol in section 3 and section 2, you can see that it is an irritant for skin and eyes!!

By the way, this water + alcohol mixture is pretty much the same formula as regular alcohol primers, so you can save money and use a standard primer instead of the fake “Superbonder” as it has the same effect on eyelash glue – it makes it cure faster but more porous so glue will emit more vapors (Superbonder has the opposite effect – it seals the adhesive surface to minimize glue vapors). So, the ballsiest copycats have relabelled their regular primer, “Superbonder.” This information is available for recognition in section 16 (Other information), where all changes to the SDS have to be noted – I launched Superbonder in 2018, so if you have an SDS with an original date of, let’s say, 2005 and edited in let’s say 2019 (I think that’s when I saw the first copies) you can be pretty sure that you have a regular alcohol-based primer in your hands.

It’s good to have SDS for all cosmetic products you use in your salon if anything happens and you need to react fast. Also, in many countries, it’s required to have them available!

The safety data sheet contains 16 sections:  

1. Identification – Identify the chemicals on the SDS and recommended uses, along with contact information for the supplier 
2. Hazard(s) identification – Identify the hazards of the chemical and the necessary warning information associated with them, meaning any warning symbols that have to be märked on the bottle. 
3. Composition/information on ingredients – Identify the ingredient(s) contained in the product, including impurities and stabilizers 
4. First-aid measures – Describe initial care to be provided by untrained responders to an individual exposed to the chemical. This is the section to find in case anything happens or your customers have a reaction! 
5. Fire-fighting measures – Provide recommendations for fighting a fire caused by the chemical 
6. Accidental release measures – Provide recommendations on responses to spills, leaks, or releases, including containment and clean-up practices to prevent or minimize exposure to people, places, and the environment. 
7. Handling and storage – Guide safe handling practices and safe storage conditions 
8. Exposure controls/personal protection – Indicate the exposure limits, engineering controls, and individual protective measures to use to minimize vulnerabilities. 
9. Physical and chemical properties – Identify physical and chemical properties associated with the substance or mixture 
10. Stability and reactivity – Describe the reactivity hazards of the chemical and chemical stability. 
11. Toxicological information – Provide toxicological and health effects information or indicate if data are not available 
12. Ecological information – Provide information to evaluate the environmental impact of the chemical if it should be released into the environment 
13. Disposal considerations – Guide proper disposal practices, recycling, or reclamation of the chemical to its container as well as safe handling practices. 
14. Transport information – Provide guidance on classification information for shipping and transporting hazardous chemicals by road, air, rail, or sea 
15. Regulatory information – Identify the safety, health, and environmental regulations specific to the product that is not indicated elsewhere on the SDS 
16. Other information – Indicate when the SDS was prepared and when the last revision was made.

For more information, visit: https://www.mpofcinci.com/blog/what-is-a-safety-data-sheet/  

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