KENYA STANDARD  KS 2937 : 2021 
ICS 71.100.70   
First Edi tion 
  
 © KEBS  2021  
 Cosmetics — General requirements for 
Safety of C osmetic Products — 
Specification  
 
 
 
 
KS 2937 : 202 1 
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 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
 
Haco Industries Ltd.  
Rozeco Chemical Industries  
L’Oreal  East Africa Ltd.  
Procter & Gamble  
Canon Chemicals  
Diversey  
Flame Tree Africa  
PZ Cussons East Africa Ltd.  
Johnson & Johnson  
Radbone Clark (K) Ltd.  
Nekkar Products  
Blends of Nature  
Unilever Kenya Ltd.  
University of Nairobi  
Thamar Ltd.  
Buyline Industries  Stedam Pharma  
Vassal Supplies  
Pwani Oil Products Ltd.  
SPECSON Enterprises  
Beauty House Africa  
Karian Holdings Limited  
Mojo Company Ltd.  
Intertek International  
Consumer Information Network  
Ministry of Health  
Materials Testing and Research Division  
Government Chemist  
Kenya Industrial Research and Development 
Institute (KIRDI)  
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and 
Technology (JKUAT) — Chemistry Department  
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
In order to keep abreast of progress in industry, Kenya Standards shall be regularly reviewed.  Suggestions for 
improvements to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, are 
welcome.  
© Kenya Bureau of Standards,  2021 
Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 130 of 2001 of  the Laws of Kenya, copyright subsists 
in all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 25 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya B ureau of Standards 
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing f rom the 
Managing Director.   KS 2937 : 202 1 
ii                                                                                                                © KEBS 2021  – All rights reserved  
 Cosmetics — General requirements for Safety 
of Cosmetic Products — Specification  
 
 
Kenya Bureau of Standards,  Popo Road, Off Mombasa Road,  
P.O. Box 54974 - 00200,  Nairobi, Kenya  
 +254 020 6948000, + 254 722202137, + 254 734600471  
 info@kebs.org  
 @KEBS_ke  
 kenya bureau of standards (kebs)  
  
KENYA STANDARD  KS 2937 : 2021  
ICS 71.100.70   
First Edition  
 
© KEBS 2021  – All rights reserved                   …                                                                                      iii 
 Foreword  
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Cosmetics and related products Technical Committee (TC) under 
the guidance of the Standards Projects Committee, and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya 
Bureau of Standards . 
The cosmetics industry is a very vibrant sector. New products and innovations are developed continuously, and 
there are no standards to cover such products.  One such range of products is the make -up range (foundation, 
concealers, eye shadow, glitters, etc ). The Cosmetics TC identified the need to have a general standard, against 
which all cosmetics products that do not have specific product standards can be tested.  This standard will 
enable manufacturers have a basis to gauge the quality of their products , as well as enable importers to trade. 
This standard will be very useful for purposes of trade facilitation, while ensuring the products are safe for use 
by the consumer. Cosmetic products should also function as intended. The Standard ensure s the quality , fitness 
for use and safety of the products to the consumers by having general/specific requirements addressing these 
aspects. The standard prescribe s specific crucial parameters such as raw material requirements, limits for heavy 
metal contaminants, and microbiological limits. The standard also make s reference to the labelling standard, 
thereby ensuring labelling requirements are adhered to. The standard also requires that the product shall be 
produced, prepared and handled under Good Manufacturing Practi ces (GMP) thus further assuring 
stakeholders of the quality and safety of the product.  
The standard will be used by stakeholders in the cosmetics sector, including manufacturers, importers, traders, 
testing bodies, research bodies, institutions of higher learning and regulatory bodies.  The standard will also be 
used for purposes of Quality Assurance, Product Certification, Inspection and Market Surveillance.  
During  the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following documents.  
 
Regulatio n (EC) No. 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union. 
(2009): Cosmetic Products . Brussels.  
 
KS ISO 17516  Cosmetics — Microbiology — Microbiological limits  
 
 
Acknowledgement is hereby made for the assistance derived from these sources.  
 KENYA STANDARD  KS 2937 : 2021  
 
© KEBS 2020 – All rights reserved                                                                                                               1 
 Cosmetics — General requirements for Safety of Cosmetic Products 
— Specification  
1 Scope  
This Kenya Standard specifies the general requirements for safety of cosmetic products.  
 
This standard applies to all cosmetic products falling within the definition of a cosmetic product in clause 
3 and all products as listed in KS EAS 334 . 
 
This standard does not apply to the medicated cosmetic products  which claim therapeutic value .  
 
This Standard only covers product s for wh ich there are no specific Kenya standards.  
 
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content 
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only  the edition cited applies. For 
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
KS EAS 334 , Kenya Standard —  Illustrative list by category of cosmetic products  
KS EAS 377, Kenya Standard — Cosmetics and cosmetic products  
- Part 1: List of substances prohibited in cosmetic products  
- Part 2: List of substances which cosmetic products must not contain except subject to the 
restrictions laid down  
- Part 3: List of colorants allowed in cosmetic products  
- Part 4:  List of preservatives allowed in cosmetic products  
- Part 5: Use of UV filters in cosmetic products  
KS EAS 846, Kenya Standard — Glossary of terms relating to the cosmetic industry  
KS ISO 22716, Kenya Standard — Cosmetics — Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP ) — Guidelines on 
Good Manufacturing Practices  
KS EAS 847 -16, Kenya Standard — Cosmetics — Analytical methods — Part 16: Determination of lead, 
mercury and arsenic content   
KS ISO 16212 , Kenya Standard — Cosmetics — Microbiology — Enumeration of yeast and mould  
KS ISO 17516, Kenya Standard — Cosmetics — Microbiology — Microbiological limits  
KS ISO 18416, Kenya Standard — Cosmetics — Microbiology — Detection of candida albicans   
KS ISO 21149, Kenya Standard — Cosmetics -- Microbiology -- Enumeration and dete ction of aerobic 
mesophilic bacteria   
KS ISO 21150, Kenya Standard — Cosmetics — Microbiology — Detection of Escherichia coli  
KS ISO 22717, Kenya Standard — Cosmetics  — Microbiology —Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa    
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 KS ISO 22718, Kenya Standard — Cosmetics — Microbiology — Detection of Staphylococcus aureus  
KS EAS 346, Kenya Standard — Labelling  of cosmetics — General requirements   
KS ISO 24153, Kenya Standard — Random sampling and randomization procedures.  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the terms and definitions given in KS EAS 846 and the following shall 
apply.  
 
3.1 cosmetic   
any preparation intended for placing in contact with various external parts of the human body (epidermis, 
hair, nails, or lips) or with the teeth and mucous membranes of the oral cavity with a view to exclusively 
or principally cleaning them, perfuming the m, or protecting them in order to keep them in good condition, 
change their appearance or correct body odours.  
 
4 Requirements  
4.1 Ingredients  
 
4.1.1  All ingredients used including dyes, pigments and colour shall conform to all parts of KS 
EAS 377.   
 
4.1.2  The cosmetic prod uct shall contain acceptable amounts of the  ingredients necessary to 
effect the intended end use performance as stipulated on the label.  
 
4.2 General Requirements  
 
4.2.1   Products for which a specific Kenya standard is in place shall be tested against th at  
specific product standard.  
4.2.2  All products containing therapeutic claims shall be registered with the Ministry of Health  
4.2.3  The final product shall not be harmful to the user when used as intended by the 
manufacturer; and  
4.2.4  The product shall be produced, prepare d and handled in accordance with KS ISO 22716.  
 
4.3 Specific requirements  
The skincare creams, lotions and gels shall comply with the specific requirements given in Table 1 when 
tested in accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 1 — Specific requirements for cosmetic products  
S/No.  Characteristic  Requirement  Test Method  
i) Thermal stability  To pass test  EAS 847 -18 
ii) pH range  3.5 - 8.5 EAS 847 -17 
 
5 Heavy metal contaminants  
The cosmetic product shall comply with the heavy metal limits given in Table 1 when tested in accordance 
with the test methods specified therein.  
  KS 2937 : 2021  
© KEBS 2021  – All rights reserved                   …                                                                                      3 
 Table 1 — Heavy metal limits for cosmetic products  
6 Microbiological limits  
 
6.1 The cosmetic product shall comply with the requirements outlined in KS ISO 16212.  
 
6.2 Microbiological criteria shall be determined using ISO 17516:2014  
 
6.3 In addition to this, the microbial risk of the product shall be assessed based on ISO 29621:2010 
to establish if the product is a low risk and therefore excluded from the n eed for microbiological 
analysis.  
 
6.4 The cosmetic product shall also comply with the microbiological limits given in Table 2 when 
tested in accordance with the test methods specified therein  
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for cosmetic products  
S/N Types of microorganisms  Products specifically 
intended for children 
under three years of age, 
the eye area or the 
mucous membranes  Other products  Test method  
i.  Total Viable Count for Aerobic 
Mesophilic Microorganisms  ≤ 100 CFU per g or ml  ≤ 1,000 CFU per  g 
or ml  KS ISO 21149  
ii.  Escherichia coli  Not detectable in 1 ml or 1 
g of cosmetic product  Not detectable in 1 
ml or 1 g of 
cosmetic product  KS ISO 21150  
iii.  Pseudomonas aeruginosa  KS ISO 22717  
iv.  Staphylococcus aureus  KS ISO 22718  
v.  Candida albicans   KS ISO 18416  
vi.  Yeasts and moulds  KS ISO 16212  
NOTE  When colonies of bacteria are detected on Sabouraud Dextrose agar, Sabouraud Dextrose 
agar containing antibiotics may be used.  
  
8 Packaging  
The product shall be packaged in suitable well -sealed containers that shall protect the contents and shall 
not cause any contamination or react with the product.  
 S/N Heavy metal  Maximum limita 
mg/kg  Test method  
i.  Lead (as Pb)  20  
KS EAS 847 -16 ii.  Arsenic (as As)  2.0 
iii.  Mercury (as Hg)  2.0 
aThe total amount of heavy metals as lead, mercury and arsenic, in combination in the finished product shall 
not exceed 20 mg/kg.   
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 9 Labelling  
The product shall comply with the labelling requirements outlined in KS EAS 346, Labelling of cosmetic 
products.  
 
10 Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with KS ISO 24153.  