European cosmetics regulations mean that a slew of products in Finland must be marked: “Not recommended for children under 16 years of age”. Tukes urges hairdressers to ensure that colours don't end up in the tresses of minors, and vendors should also ensure that underage teens do not buy hair dye.
“We are officially recommending to stores that they pay attention to the package markings. That is, if they notice that a young person is buying such a product, they need to notify them that they have to wait a few more years,” says Tukes’ lawyer, Pauliina Kanerva.
A packetful of responsibility
By law, stores are already responsible for checking ID for such things as alcohol, tobacco and the sale of games to minors. Retailers are wondering about the hair colour recommendations, in light of the fact that there are no direct penalties for violation.
"We take the recommendations seriously, but clearly we interpret this regulation as not being the same as, for example, the ban on the sale of alcohol to minors," says Finnish Grocery Trade Association expert Merja Söderström.
Lawyer Pauliina Kanerva also says that compliance with the recommendations is a matter of the vendor’s discretion.
"We officially advise [the enforcement of the rule], of course, but it is up to the store how it works," she says. "Naturally, parental supervision is also emphasized in this age recommendation."
According to Tukes, the regulation still has some way to go.
"It could be a project of many years to put the recommendation into law," says Kanerva.
Rule barely gives pause to vendors
The communications departments of K-Citymarket and Anttila stores, for example, have said that they have no control over the sale of hair dyes. According to these stores, it is up to consumers themselves to heed the more stringent package labeling.
Furthermore, hair colourants are not listed in the Finnish Grocery Trade Association’s training manual as products that should be controlled in terms of selling to minors.