Titanium dioxide is now officially banned as an ingredient in foods and dietary supplements in the European Union on safety grounds. However, manufacturers can still place products containing the chemical compound on the market for six months, and then any products still on the market can remain until their expiry date. Meanwhile, the European Commission and pharmaceutical companies have three years to find titanium dioxide alternatives for medicines, or justify why it should continue to be used.

J&J Consumer Health is rolling out an initiative that involves publishing details online about a product’s ingredients, including their sustainability and animal welfare credentials, to eight of its “leadership brands” by the end of this year, according to the company's sustainability chief, Katie Decker. This initiative is a response to consumer demand for transparency and a key plank of the firm's $800m 2030 sustainability strategy, she explains in this exclusive interview.

GSK Consumer Healthcare is switching its UK Aquafresh Fresh and Minty toothpaste to 100% recyclable packaging, delivering a “huge positive impact” on the brand’s total brand sustainability and edging the firm closer to its overall goal of having 100% recyclable or reusable product packaging “where quality and safety permits” by 2025.

“With Seven Seas Omega-3 Max Strength, no other leading brand offers a higher level of omega-3 in just one daily capsule,” insists Chiara Sartorelli, brand manager at Procter & Gamble's UK & Ireland.Seven Seas business.

According to a recent systematic review of evidence from randomised placebo-controlled trials, the claimed hangover-reducing effects of traditional herbal medicines and dietary supplement ingredients do have some scientific backing. However, the quality of the evidence is extremely low. 

France's self-medication market lags behind its European rivals. Why is that? A skeptical and over-cautious government and a stifling regulatory system may provide at least part of the answer, the Global Self-Care Federation's recently published Self-Care Readiness Index suggests.