COSMETICS2

Senators Diane Feinstein (D-California) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduce the Personal Care Products Safety Act because regulations on these products have changed little since the 1930s.  On average, American women use 12 products containing 168 chemicals on their bodies daily, from shampoo to cosmetics and lotions. Men use fewer products containing on average 85 chemicals daily.  On average, teens use 17 personal care products daily, and tests show 16 hormone altering chemicals in their blood and urine samples.  Most of these chemicals are probably safe, but they have not been subject to any kind of independent review to determine safety standards. Attempts to give the FDA the authority to regulate personal care products dates back to the Eisenhower administration, but those attempts failed.  This time the legislation has the support of companies like Revlon, Johnson and Johnson, and the Personal Care Products Council, who say regulatory  reform will promote consumer confidence in products that are used every day. According to Scott Faber of the Environmental Working Group (A non-profit organization working to raise awareness on chemical exposures in personal care products) “Cosmetics are sort of the last uregulated area of consumer products law. The FDA has virtually no power to regulate the products we use everyday.” The proposed legislation would require the FDA to review five chemicals that are used in personal care products each year.  The first set of chemicals will likely be lead acetate, formaldehyde, paraben, diazolidinyl urea, and quaterium-15.  The bill would also require manufacturers of personal care products to register their companies, products, and ingredients.