Gerald Renner

Director Technical Regulatory & International Affairs, Cosmetics Europe, Belgium

Dr Gerald Renner was born in Graz (Austria) in 1967. His basic scientific training is in engineering chemistry at the Technische Universität Graz, where he graduated in 1993. After that he specialised in biochemical engineering and worked for his PhD at the Technische Universität Graz, and the Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal. He finished his doctoral studies on the bacterial production of biodegradable plastics in 1996.

After additional courses in animal cell culture techniques and immunology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, he joined the Colipa (now Cosmetics Europe) Scientific department at the end of 1996.

Since 2001 he is Cosmetic Europe’s Director of Technical Regulatory Affairs which includes since 2010 also the association s activities on international regulatory convergence.

Main areas of responsibility:

  • Regulatory issues and questions arising from the application of the EU Cosmetics Regulation and its technical adaptations.
  • Interpretation of the borderline of cosmetics to other EU legislations (e.g. medicinal products, chemicals, biocides, …).
  • Development of Cosmetics Europe’s technical regulatory input to the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and the upcoming revision of CLP, REACH and Cosmetics Regulation.
  • Convergence of international cosmetic legislations in key regions, removal of barriers to international trade, developments of international standards (ISO) and collaboration with international sister associations.
  • Guidance to CE members on the implementation of the new Chinese Cosmetics legislation (CSAR).