ISO 21150:2006 gives general guidelines for the detection and identification of the specified microorganism Escherichia coli in cosmetic products. Microorganisms considered as specified in ISO 21150:2006 might differ from country to country according to national practices or regulations.

ISO 21150:2006 specifies a method that is based on the detection of Escherichia coli in a non-selective liquid medium (enrichment broth), followed by isolation on a selective agar medium. Other methods may be appropriate depending on the level of detection required.

Because of the large variety of cosmetic products within this field of application, this method may not be appropriate for some products in every detail (e.g. certain water-immiscible products). Other International Standards may be more appropriate.