BRUSSELS — The European Parliament is expected to vote Wednesday to keep cosmetics containing potentially cancer-causing chemicals off the European market.
The move would put the Parliament on a collision course with the European Commission, which proposed exempting certain substances from some regulatory constraints as part of its effort to cut red tape.
The measure — part of a so-called omnibus package that overhauls EU rules on cosmetics, fertilizers and chemical labeling — has become a battleground for EU institutions, NGOs and industry groups.
The Commission had proposed easing restrictions on some toxic substances in cosmetics if the risk to consumers depended on how they were exposed — for example, whether a chemical posed a danger mainly when swallowed or inhaled, rather than applied to the skin. Critics warned that the approach could allow potentially harmful products to remain on the market.
