How we ensure Fairy products are safe for consumers

At Fairy, your safety is our highest priority. Read our Safety Promise here [Link to Article #1 “Fairy‘s Safety Promise“]. Every product we make is the result of a meticulous, multi-stage safety process, overseen by our team of more than 500 scientists and experts. This article explains the science we use, the rigorous steps we take, and answers your most specific questions.

The scientific foundation: understanding hazard vs. risk

Our entire safety process is built on the fundamental scientific principle that forms the basis for all modern safety assessments worldwide: the distinction between a “hazard” and a “risk.”

1. Hazard: The intrinsic property of a substance to potentially cause a harmful effect.

1. Exposure: The amount, duration and route of contact with a substance under real-world conditions.

1. Risk: The likelihood that a harmful effect will actually occur, based on both the hazard and the specific exposure.

This relationship is captured in a simple equation: Risk = Hazard x Exposure

Think of apples: The seeds contain a compound that can release cyanide (a hazard). However, the risk of harm from eating an apple is negligible, because the exposure from accidentally swallowing a few seeds is incredibly small.

Our three layers of safety testing

We have a rigorous system of checks that we think of as three layers of safety.

Layer 1: a four-step safety assessment for every ingredient

Before any ingredient is considered for a Fairy product, it must pass the trusted four-step risk assessment process originally developed by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (National Research Council, National Academy Press, 1983) and updated by the U.S. Environmental Agency in 2009: Science And Decisions: Advancing Risk Assessment (NAS Final Report) | IRIS | US EPA. This methodology is adopted by all experts in this field. The process involves:

1. A thorough review of the science: We begin by collecting all available safety information about an ingredient, including our own testing, published studies, public databases, and information from our suppliers. We check for possible health effects (such as skin or eye irritation, allergies, toxicity, and long-term effects on reproduction or the nervous system) and determine safe exposure levels.

2. The identification of potential hazards: While most ingredients have a long history of safe use, new ingredients or new ways of using them require extra care to be taken. Our scientists identify any potential hazards and make sure any testing required by government authorities is completed before the ingredient is used in a product.

3 The assessment of exposure: Understanding how consumers use our products is critical. We study your real-life habits to calculate how much of each ingredient consumers you could be exposed to during normal use.

4 The evaluation of risk: By combining the ingredients’ properties with expected exposure, our experts assess the overall risk. We then apply a large safety margin – typically 100 to 1,000 times below the level that is considered safe.

In addition, we follow industry guidance for specific groups of ingredients like enzymes and perfumes [Link to Article #4 - “How We Ensure The Perfumes Used in Fairy Products Are Safe“]. Only ingredients that pass all these checks can move to the next stage.

Layer 2: Where relevant we additionally test the final product (formula and packaging)

This multi-faceted process considers:

1. Intended and foreseeable use: we evaluate how the product is designed to be used, as well as any ways it might reasonably be used by consumers.

1. Accidental exposure: we also consider the possibility of unintentional contact with the product.

Furthermore, we conduct a physical hazard assessment of the packaging to ensure it meets local regulations and provides appropriate protection for the product.

Layer 3: We never stop monitoring

Our scientists constantly monitor and review new scientific information. If anything changes that could impact safety (such as updated information on an ingredient’s intrinsic properties or changes in product use) we immediately reassess the risk to ensure every Fairy product continues to meet our high safety standards.