Cosmetics Industry Calls for Modernizing FDA

Lezlee Westine, president and CEO, Personal Care Products Council, updates us on the drive for a new regulatory policy, and appeals to packaging companies to get involved.

Written by Lezlee Westine, president and CEO, Personal Care Products Council

AUTHOR BIO: Lezlee Westine is the president and chief executive officer of the Personal Care Products Council, the leading national trade association for the cosmetic and personal care products industry, representing the most innovative names in beauty today. The Council serves as the voice on scientific, legal, regulatory, legislative and international issues for more than 600 member companies that manufacture, distribute and supply the vast majority of finished personal care products marketed in the U.S.

After three years of research, planning and thoughtful deliberation, the Personal Care Products Council in July 2010 unveiled proposals for groundbreaking federal legislation it believes are essential to upgrade current cosmetic regulations and enhance existing consumer safeguards. With federal laws unchanged for decades—coupled with advances in science and technology—the industry believes a new regulatory policy is critical for the 21st century. The rationale behind this effort is simple: Strengthen regulation for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), increase transparency, enhance existing consumer safeguards and create a new process to better accommodate the rapid developments in science, technology and the marketplace.

Our legislative proposals would build on existing law and processes, which have effectively protected consumers for decades, as well as expand the FDA’s role in assessing ingredient safety. Our proposals would establish a formal FDA process to review ingredients for safety at the request of public and stakeholder groups, or on its own initiative, in concert with the safety determinations of the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel, an independent panel of scientific and medical experts who assess the safety of cosmetic ingredients in the U.S.

Although it appears that the legislation will not advance this year because of the Congressional calendar, we feel well positioned to move this forward when a new Congressional session reconvenes in 2011. We believe this legislation updates a solid but aging program in need of modernization and creates a stable structure for the future. It also addresses key needs and issues in a way that minimizes undue burdens on large and small companies alike.

As an integral part of the personal care and cosmetic industry, the packaging community must stay current on this issue and other challenges our industry is facing. Each component of the supply chain is dependent on the others. I hope that you will keep up on this and other activities the Personal Care Products Council is undertaking on your behalf. You can learn more and get involved at www.councilpolicycenter.org.

The Council needs the support of the entire industry—raw materials suppliers, contract manufacturers, packaging suppliers, and finished products distributors—to help ensure a thriving industry that is committed to providing quality products that are safe and innovative. We look forward to working more closely with the packaging community towards this important objective.